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Table of Contents Eliza Percy s Perfect Moment The Origin Story of Snow Globes by Claire Alonso p 1 4 The Cumulus Cloud The Origin of Snowflake by Devin Blair p 5 8 Santa s Nutcracker Factory The Origin Story of Nutcrackers by Aaron Bolcerek p 9 10 The Origin Story of the Polar Express The Interstellar Express by Fiona Brandon p 11 12 Kitt s Ham The Origin Story of Ham by Dresden Calabrese p 13 16 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer The Origin Story of Rudolph by Mina Chandler p 17 19 The North Pole The Origin Story of Joy and Friendship by Fiona Deasy p 20 21 Waddles on Ice The Origin Story of Ice Skating by Makena Eugster p 22 24 Grinchy Christmas The Origin Story of the Grinch by Grace Fannon p 25 26 The Day of Welcome The Origin Story of the Macy s Parade by Lola Gambino p 27 30 Catching Santa The Origin Story of Why You Can t Sleep on Christmas Eve by Colin Hagan p 31 33 The Snowman Attacks The Origin Story of the Snowman by Boden Hammett p 34 36 That s Ugly The Origin Story of Ugly Christmas Sweaters by Lucas Havlin p 37 40 Last Name and Toes The Origin Story of Mistletoe by Fiorella Kennedy p 41 47 Little Boy Timmy The Origin Story of Santa Claus by Dominic Kunz p 48 50 Mr Mouse and the Old Lady The Origin Story of Candy Canes by Christy Latch p 51 53 Lightning The Origin Story of Snow by Mimi Ludwig p 54 57

The Cabins The Origin Story of Advent Calendars by Ella MacNamara p 58 59 Buddy the Elf on the Shelf The Origin Story of Elf on the Shelf by Harry Mahoney p 60 63 The Perfect Gift The Origin Story of Gift Giving by Nicholas Meilbeck p 64 66 The Socks The Origin Story of Stockings by Milan Murphy p 67 69 Christmas Fear The Origin Story of Krampus by Seamus Ryan p 70 75 A Christmas Miracle The Origin Story of Gingerbread Houses by Veer Sahai p 76 78 The Ginger Creation The Origin Story of Cookies by Natalie San p 79 81 A Pembrooke s Tale The Origin of Getting a Christmas Tree by Jenna Serrano p 82 93 The Christmas Miracle of Merilla The Origin Story of Hot Chocolate by Clara Slacik p 94 96 The Great Eight The Origin Story of Santa s Reindeer by Sydney Srivastava p 97 102 Christmas on Fire The Origin Story of Christmas Lights by Bailey Stern p 103 106 The Day the Trees Came The origin Story of Christmas Trees by Cal Stewart p 107 109 Christmas Life on the Go The Origin Story of Elves by Victoria Wade p 110 115 The Day Santa Became Lazy The Origin Story of The Naughty or Nice App by Grace Walsh p 116 118 Penny s Paper The Origin Story of Wrapping Paper by Kate Walsh p 119 122

Eliza Percy s Perfect Moment The Origin Story of Snow Globes By Claire Alonso Christmas time was almost upon the people of the world In a small village wrapped in snow and small girl named Eliza Percy sat on her bed trying to think of the perfect gift to give Often people bought trivial presents and meaningless gifts but Eliza was determined to make the perfect one with her own small hands The day before had been the perfect December day Eliza and her parents all bundled up and played outside while the snow fell softly and quietly around them They named their snowman Murphy Even though Eliza was close with her parents and loved them more than anything she had never felt quite as connected with them Eliza hurried to pull on her winter clothes and yelled down the stairs I m going to see Mr Win before hurrying out the door Mr Win was the cobbler in town and was family friends with the Percy s so Eliza had known him since birth She hurried down the narrow streets which were covered in footprints left by the people who had trod on the snow before her The bell tinkled softly full of love when she opened the shop door and was greeted by a burst of warmth and the smell of soft leather Mr Win Eliza called He hurried out from the workshop in the back of the store He smiled at her I have an idea Eliza said The workshop at the back of the cobblers was small but it was small in a good way Cozy A work bench lined one wall and had two stools One for Mr Win and the other for Eliza who visited there often Leather and rubber were spread about and sprinkled around were tools and different embellishments Eliza loved the workshop It was a place to put ideas into action which was exactly what she planned to do 1

I want to freeze a moment in time she announced Mr Win looked at her blankly not fully processing the information My dear he started Whatever do you mean I never have the perfect gift Eliza cried And if I could give my parents a moment in time it would be so special Mr Win smiled He loved Eliza s out of the box ideas Well I guess you better start working Eliza smiled right back Mr Win and Eliza gathered the materials that day It was decided that a model of sorts would be best and Eliza knew exactly where they should put it The mantle above the fire place had been seeming empty as of lately She could already see it in her mind Eliza was in the workshop one day delicately painting her perfect moment when Mr Win walked in with a special box with a little satin ribbon tied around it which made it look very elegant Eliza put aside the wooden trees and snow man wrapped in a bright red scarf and approached Mr Win What s in the box she asked curiously I happened to have found something that might be the perfect addition to you little frozen moment Mr Win replied as he opened the box Inside was a glass sphere precious as a gem that looked as if it would break if even a small fairy stepped on it Eliza was awestruck It s perfect she said And she meant it In the week following the perfect globe was almost done Soft looking snow covered the elaborately painted base and on top of that stood a snowman and three people a close knit 2

family dressed in winter clothes Behind them stood trees carved from oak wood vibrantly decorated with green pine leaves so realistic that you could almost smell the tree itself The glass sphere topped it all off perfectly it made the moment trapped in its own special bubble to be looked at and relived for all eternity At home Eliza put on the finishing touches and rushed to show Mr Win It was snowing again in the small village the flakes falling softly as Eliza rushed over the cobblestone streets to the cobblers workshop Her winter coat flapped behind her as Eliza rushed to show Mr Win Her perfect moment was so special because the Percy family had never felt like a more happy family than on that day Eliza turned a corner and caught her toe on a stray mound of snow It felt like the next events happened in slow motion She tripped The box flew out of her hand as she hit the ground with a thump Eliza didn t even brush off the snow on her clothes right away She scrambled to open the box she had packed the globe it filled with dread Maybe it didn t break she hoped Maybe everything was okay But when the lid came off and Eliza s heart dropped The beautiful glass orb had shattered The shards were sprinkled throughout the box like its own kind of snow Eliza started to cry All of her hard work was gone and Christmas was just around the corner The cold air made her tears freeze on face and she decided to just give up Eliza s happy mood had completely disappeared and she trudged though the snow back to the sympathy of her own bed The snow fell gently into the box as she stared at the broken pieces Eliza was still staring down at the disaster when she realized something The day they made the snow man there was a snow fall Fresh snow surrounded the figures and freckled the 3

glass making it look even more like the perfect moment The tears sliding down Eliza s faced slowly trickled to a stop the tracks still lining her cold rosy cheeks What if What if she could make snow fall inside the glass sphere A snow globe Eliza wasn t so sad any more Turning around Eliza walked slowly though the frozen rain to Mr Win s workshop She told him what happened and her new idea I ll go fetch another sphere Now Eliza he knelt down Don t be disappointed you re going to do amazing I just know it Well Mr Win Eliza smiled sadly You always did say I made the best of bad situations That s my girl In the following time Christmas had arrived Wrapping it carefully Eliza walked over to her house to put the snow globe under the tree on Christmas Eve There were quite a few presents were under their as well but Eliza was sure hers would top it all It did The snow globe was a big hit and her parents loved it A memory frozen in time right above their fire place It was the most beautiful present given that day The idea was shared and from then on the snow globe became a Christmas symbol of hard work and love put into every present given and received 4

The Cumulus Cloud The Origin of Snowflake By Devin Blair The icy wind howled while whipping through the streets of the Cumulus Cloud blowing people s hair around in their faces Excuse me A young girl no older than 13 called breaking through a small crowd of people admiring a large ice block By the time the girl was through the crowd a little man with white hair was standing by the block of wet ice Hey Sorry Excuse me The girl smiles while pulling open the large caramel color door A wreath of freshly cut pine hung at her eye level on the door the pungent smell burning her nose causing her to sneeze The walls of the small room are being covered by bookshelves heavy with the weight of books The 4th side has a counter with a golden cash register Miss Amelia How are you The older man said smiling Not to bad Mr G It s cold out there She nods her head towards the window Yeah A storm is coming in Did you see that star last night Amelia shakes her head she hadn t seen the star the night before The star is practically all everyone was talking about Some people think it was a sign that something important is coming while others think nothing of it saying it was just a star What are you think about carving this year Mr G looks toward her a small grin on his face I think it will be a star What did it look like Mr G stops for a second placing his hand on his chin It was gorgeous all shiny and bright It must be a sign or something Mr G smiles and goes back to carving Amelia nods and walks toward the back of the store where she sits in a plush green chair She sighs pulling out a book and frowning about how she would rather do 5

anything than homework right now At that very moment almost as if her wish came true a young boy came bursting through the door Hey Mr G How s the ice carving The smaller boy is almost the exact opposite of Amelia He has curly hair the color of fire light eyes and is short Amelia has dark brown hair dark eyes and is tall Nevertheless they have been best friends since they were five What took you so long Amelia mutters from behind a english textbook The boy Charlie huffs I don t know maybe the mob of people outside the store And it s way too cold Charlie pulls off his hat running a hand through the mop of curls before sitting down on the chair opposite of Amelia Relax Charlie Amelia says waving her hand and turning to Mr G He s just upset he got a B on the last math test Charlie rolls his eyes grabbing his English book from his bag They do this everyday after school it has become a routine almost like brushing your teeth Hey Amelia what did you get for Cutting off Charlie s sentence was a loud bell but not just any loud bell the townspeople call it the Town Hall Bell The mayor only rings it when something serious is happening Mr G stops his carving looking towards the kids Maybe you two should get going home I should probably go to the Town Hall The two kids stood up nodding quickly packing up their bags to leave Bye Mr G Charlie waves Thanks See you tomorrow Mr G smiles while waving at the children who are now running down the street What do you think the bell is about Amelia asks curiously a smile playing on her lips Charlie stops walking shaking his head he says Oh no I know that look we are not going to the town hall Amelia shrugs and looks down the street seeing no one Why not it is a Friday Charlie shakes his head again Because I don t feel like getting caught breaking into Town Hall 6

to snoop on some meeting Amelia frowns again Suddenly an idea comes to her like a gust of icy wind brew it into her mind I ll let you study off my notes for the next math test Charlie raises an eyebrow The next two tests Amelia thinks for a second she can do that Sure They nod and shake hands Come on They sneak down the road to the large Town Hall It is a wide building with large glossy windows that make you feel like you are looking into another dimension Two tall metal doors stand at the front almost like the guards watching to make sure only officials get inside But somehow Amelia and Charlie manage to creep past the doors into the huge room where citizens of the town sat worrying The Mayor Ms Shell stands in front of them saying something the kids are too far away to hear Charlie tiptoes over towards entrance of the room nodding Amelia over We believe the day has come That star warns of something big happening The start of something new It symbolizes a new beginning for us and for the people below We need to drop the snow sculptures to show the people of Earth we are here to help The crowd murmurs Mr G is sitting in the back of the room looking at his hands So let s put it to a vote What s a Charlie was cut off yet again but this time by a woman around the age of 30 pulling him up from the ground Mom Charlie says wide eyed Funny seeing you here Go home Now both of you Please She looks toward Amelia who utters a quick yes ma am before hurrying off with Charlie in toe The sun was shining brightly the next day helping to make the day even more special It is never exactly hot on Cumulus Cloud so when it is the people make the best of it Amelia is walking side by side with her mother a tall woman who has sleek black hair and a large smile on her face Why don t you go and get them Amelia nods running to the large red door that opens to 7

Charlie s home She knocks lightly and Charlie s younger sister Alannah comes to the door opening it and smiling at her brothers friend Hi Amelia The young girl looks similar to Charlie long curly red hair and big bright eyes Hi Alannah are you excited for the parade She nods enthusiastically Shortly after Charlie comes bounding down the stairs smiling at Amelia Come on Let s go The kids run down the long blocks making their way to the edge of the cloud A large crowd has already gathered and the parade is about to start Amelia grabs Alannah s hand and they make their way through the crowd with Charlie following behind Look Alannah shouts as large men fire ice sculptures off the side of the cloud The sculptures all have long arm like things sticking out of the sides making them look almost star like Suddenly more began to fall and soon hundreds of sculptures are off the side of the cloud drifting down to Earth where they would make a home on the ground Amelia Charlie and Alannah are staring in awe It s amazing Charlie laughs Yeah it is Amelia smiles watching the sculptures cascade down the side of the cloud like an icy waterfall Now people far and wide have heard of that magical day It is known today as Christmas And for years to come people will celebrate that day and call those falling sculptures snowflakes 8

Santa s Nutcracker Factory The Origin Story of Nutcrackers By Aaron Bolcerek It s a dull and foggy day just like every other day at Santa s nutcracker factory The nutcrackers are being prepared to leave the factory into the real world to work for Santa Although this is not a day like any other as three brave nutcrackers running at full pace towards the emergency exit We see a golfing nutcracker as wise as the sun a rockstar nutcracker as stubborn as a bee sting and a Russian nutcracker as stiff as a flag pole All are unlike the other nutcrackers as all of the other nutcrackers are draped in red and green with all matching hats and suits The three nutcrackers are longing for a world of free expression with no monotony As they leave the facility being chased by elf guards they dive into a nearby trash bin filled with rotten bananas and leftover eggnog The three nutcrackers have known each other through their four years of nutcracker training The training is mandatory as if the nutcrackers refused they would be sent to work at a labor camp until they are ready to work for Santa The three nutcrackers put on their uniforms and sneak into the line of nutcrackers without being detected They make it out of the factory and the golf nutcracker speaks of going to Santa s lair at the North Pole to plead to him to free the nutcracker workers The golfing nutcracker then describes the lair as deep in the ice mountains covered in the white powdery snow The house is in the center of the North Pole complete with various guard elves and reindeer all ready to protect their king At first the three were hesitant but then knew that freedom for all nutcrackers 9

was relying on them The three nutcrackers start to walk under the shadows of city buildings until they reach the city walls They start walking through the treacherous skyscraper hills plowed with snow and along the deathly frozen waters that lie just before the North Pole As the three were on a small piece of ice paddling along icy waters they saw it They saw the giant candy cane lair called the North Pole It is covered with guard elves and reindeer who can sniff out those trying to enter nearby As the three are walking behind icebergs candy canes they see a back exit The Russian nutcracker tells the two that this would be the only opportunity to enter the building Then the golfing nutcracker counts 1 2 3 go They all bolt towards the door as when they enter they stop and hide behind a nearby trashcan They see a sign that states Santa s room Stay Out The three look left then right for troops and then start to run They reach the door and it opens They see a bearded man sitting upright in his chair adjacent to his desk that has a big red button on it The man seems concerned with anger The Rockstar nutcracker decides that he should be the one to talk to Santa He states that Santa is keeping love and freedom away from nutcrackers by using them as workers in his factory Santa is a saddened by hearing his own actions and with a press of one bright red button the nutcrackers at the factory start to change colors One was a baseball player one was a lumberjack it was a beautiful sight to see as all of the nutcrackers at the factory were free to be who they truly are All the nutcrackers start to sing with Christmas cheer as they live in a world no longer controlled with power This is why humans to this day put up nutcrackers as decorations to remember the bravery of those three nutcrackers 10

The Origin Story of the Polar Express The Interstellar Express By Fiona Brandon It was Milky Way Day Eve Billy Mason could not fall asleep he was waiting for the Interstellar Express This train was Billy s favorite part about the holidays Billy loved playing with toy trains and wished to get a model of the lovely locomotive the Interstellar Express for Milky Way Day Billy s hologram clock lit up with neon blue lights partially blinding him It s time Billy exclaimed Billy hurried out of the house quietly like a mouse Billy hopped on the train He saw his friend Luca Ricci from school Luca was a cool nerd He had short blonde hair and tiny glasses When he got to Luca he noticed Luca was sitting next to someone he had never seen before The creature had green and purple skin Luca introduced her and said her name was Nebula and she was from Jupiter At first Billy was amazed but that soon ended as Billy and Nebula kept fighting about if the seat they were sitting on is blue or red The fighting got so bad they separated Luca tried stop them but he couldn t He was busy staring at the mesmerizing floating hot chocolate in the dining car Now Billy was sitting all alone Luckily someone saw him This someone was Ulrich the conductor of the Interstellar Express Ulrich was cheering up Billy by telling him funny stories and tales of good glories and Milky Way Days long long ago Then Ulrich asked Billy what he wanted for Milky Way Day Billy responded I want a model of the Interstellar Express As soon as the last word rolled off of Billy s tongue a model of the black train with red velvety seats appeared in Ulrich s hands It was magical Billy was so 11

ecstatic He thanked Ulrich nearly a million times Then Ulrich made a deal with Billy The deal was that Billy would apologize to Nebula about fighting with her Billy swiftly found Nebula sitting with Luca Billy said while still panting from running upend down the train I m sorry Nebula It was rude of me to start arguing with you about stupid things like the color of the seats Nebula gave a sincere smile and forgave Billy As the night s festivities came to an end Billy was dropped off at his house Once again Billy climbed up the stairs of his house to his bedroom Making sure not to wake up his parents Billy fell asleep as fast as possible He was ready for Milky Way Day Billy Mason did not realize it then but the locomotive that was gifted to him by Ulrich was a key This key allowed Billy to create a way to give younger kids hope for their future Perhaps it appears to be a superficial gift at first but it will have meaning in the future Billy was so inspired by what Ulrich did for him and his friends he used the key and created a train of his own The train was black and had seats of all colors red blue green you name it The train was magnificent This train would take children from all over Earth to see Santa Claus in the North Pole Santa would give important gifts to the children that embarked on this journey Billy went on to name his train the Polar Express 12

Kitt s Ham The Origin Story of Ham By Dresden Calabrese On a cold winter day in San Francisco all the Village School for Boys alumni were getting ready for Alumni s Night a long awaited for time that all postgraduates of class of 99 were waiting for Bearcat a very prestigious woman was most excited for the night Back in her day Village School for Boys consisted only of boys When she was only in fifth grade at an all girl s school named Hamlet she demanded that she should be given a chance to apply to Village School She felt that she got along better with the boys To her shock the school reasoned with her They would let her permanently stay at Village if within the first month she thrived Of course Bearcat thrived through all four years at Village On the other side of town a handsome striking young man was getting ready for the big night To his friends he is known as Kitt but to his teachers when he was a student at Village he was known as Christopher Kitt and Bearcat had a rocky past Kitt was always the favorite of the class and Bearcat was absolutely a polar opposite Kitt made friends with the savvy popular kids Brady Alesso Woods George Alexander the list was endless Meanwhile Bearcat struggled to make friends She was stuck with the second choice kids like Ian Gabe and Caspar Tonight Bearcat promised herself that she would make an impression She was starting her own company she had a grown gorgeous daughter whom many of the men called The Fair Maiden She would show off her luxury to all the snobby kids who doubted her and she would make sure to rub it in 13

Kitt s face As he walked up the newly renovated carpeted stairs Kitt s stomach seemed like it was flourishing with butterflies He opened the big concrete blue doors and stepped inside As he looked around he couldn t spot Brady the only one who he had kept in touch with throughout the years Instead he noticed Woods over by the punch and he walked over Woods looked up from his punch Yo Was good Kitto How s life Still laxin Kitt and Woods talked for what seemed like forever until a short blonde woman walked in Kitt and Woods simultaneously turned their heads They immediately knew that this woman was Bearcat She looked extravagant from her seven inch heels to her big white coat The night went by very quickly for everyone Kitt and Bearcat would always turn catch a glimpse of the other and sometimes they caught each other s eye While talking with Woods and Ben his two old friends Kitt blurted out I m in love with The Fair Maiden The whole room when silent he had said it too loud Bearcat slowly turned her head to face Kitt and walked over to him even slower than she had turned her head What did you say Bearcat s face as painted with distress and anger You heard me I m in love with The Fair Maiden your daughter I love her I don t care if we have a 20 year age gap between us and I certainly don t care if her mother hates me Love is love and you can t ask me to stop loving her It s impossible Kitt said as all the adults in the room listened uncomfortably If this is your way for asking for her hand in marriage the answer is most definitely no Bearcat blatantly said to Kitt while viciously gazing into his soul through his eyes But why We re in love and if I m good enough for your beloved daughter why am I 14

not good enough for you Kitt s eyes were close to tears He loved The Fair Maiden more than anything and he would do anything to be with her I ll tell you this Kitt You re welcome yo come spend time with the family for Christmas If you can prove yourself to me you have my blessing If not you must never marry her Bearcat said Fine Will do Kitt responded as he headed for the door It was Christmas Day and Kitt and The Fair Maiden walked hand and hand to the gates of the lavish house that belonged to Bearcat Then they stepped inside No greeting not even a hello was said Hours later Bearcat came up from her dwelling separate from the main part of the house Well we don t have any Christmas traditions let s all just order some Chinese food for dinner Bearcat said No We re going to create our own tradition I ll make dinner You guys set the table Kitt said He kissed The Fair Maiden on the tip of her slim rounded nose and rushed outside Two hours later Kitt came back with a big white bag He set it down on the counter and went to see how the girls set the table Its conventional I ll spice it up Thank you Kitt uttered to Bearcat and The Fair Maiden Kitt pulled a large brown thing out of the bag placed it in the oven collected acorns and leaves from the garden to decorate the table bought candles and flowers for the table as well and put everything in place He stepped back and took a look at his Christmas creation The table blessed with nature s decorations and the large brown thing set on a plate looked breathtaking He trudged up the stairs to fetch Bearcat and The Fair Maiden It s 15

ready he said to them Altogether the three of them walked downstairs Bearcat gasped Well it s astounding It s gorgeous Kitt smiled and caught The Fair Maiden s eye while exchanging jovial looks They sat down said their blessing and Bearcat made a puzzled face Kitt what s that gigantic brown thing in the center of the table Bearcat stared at Kitt as she waited for his response Well I call it a ham I made it for the first time today and believe it or not I think I m the first one to ever make it It tastes pretty darn good Kitt stated The family feasted on their first of their many hams they would have on Christmas For years to come the ham would be eaten on Christmas as a sign of love and acceptance and no one would forget the tale of the ham 16

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer The Origin Story of Rudolph By Mina Chandler Hundreds of years ago was when it all started A planet not known to many A planet untouched by humankind but filled with reindeers This planet was called SLAY Christmas stories have been told for generations What you don t know is the real story behind Rudolph Far away from the planet which we live there is an alternate dimension A dimension that can only be seen by just one human His name is Santa Clause It all started 500 years ago Um I m sorry ma am but there s something wrong with your baby It s his nose Ive never scene this before The doctor handed baby Rudolph to his mother He s lovely Said his mother Its a beautiful nose I shall call him Rudolph Said his mother Rudolph the red nosed reindeer What a delightful name Said the doctor Rudolph s mother held him closely You ll do great things someday Rudolph So that was the story of baby Rudolph It was a bright day Wait before I go on unlike those stories told by humans Rudolph was not made fun of for his nose Rudolph had a passion for shoes He was a shoe designer Yes reindeers can wear shoes too He worked as a major designer under his apprentice Raybon shadie was his boss We need something new something fresh Rudolph Any ideas Ummm we could 17

Tomorrow I want you to pitch me a plan That afternoon Rudolph spent his time drawing sketch after sketch He couldn t take it anymore He wanted to try something new in life He wanted to leave his mark on the world It was decided He would walk in to Raybon s office and quit The next morning he did just that Though maybe he didn t think it through He was now a jobless reindeer Walking along the icy streets he heard a familiar voice Hey Rudolph Wait up It was his best friend Randy Rudolph could always count on his friend Randy to cheer him up What s going on Nothing Said Rudolph It was that very moment Rudolph saw a flyer sticking out of the ground He pulled it out of the white fluffy snow Hey Randy Come look at this The flyer read Santa s call for a new reindeer this could be it The job that leaves his mark on the world Im gonna do it What do you mean said Randy The You already have a job you love Rudolph didn t want to tell him the truth Besides your not even reliable or athletic in any way How could you be one of Santa s reindeer Said Randy Rudolph s nose lit up brighter than a Christmas light This usually happened whenever he got angry I m gonna get that job as Santa s reindeer I m Perfectly capable It May seem like Rudolph was ready to do anything but that wasn t the case He felt a knot tie up in his stomach and his head felt heavy Every day Rudolph counted the days leading up to December 9th The day of the reindeer tryouts Rudolph played his favorite music and Started lifting weights He went on a all juice diet He had to be in top shape for the tryouts After many days of preparation 18

the day finally came December 9th The tryouts were held in a giant dome like arena Their were thousands of reindeers roaring in the bleachers He heard a familiar voice Ho ho ho Rudolph turned to the cheerful voice There he was In his red suit lined with snow like fur Oh How he wish he could work for Santa Clause Santa s eyes headed in Rudolph s direction Oh god Rudolph thought And What is your name young man Said Santa Rudolph Rudolph why do you think you should be part of my team Well Sir I would devote all my time and effort to this job and it s my main passion That moment Santa new he would be a wonderful member to the team Rudolph with your nose so bright won t you guide my slay on Christmas night Said Santa It would be my pleasure Rudolph never felt so happy in his life He heard his mothers voice in his head You ll do great things someday Rudolph and that s the story behind Rudolph the red nosed reindeer The most famous reindeer in the world 19

The North Pole The Origin Story of joy and friendship By Fiona Deasy It was fresh misty morning and the town of Flankerville was just about to wake and start the day At approximately 6 00 A M the church bells went off The clock struck and the bells clashed against each other making enough noise to wake the whole town As the bell rang the noises started You could hear pots bashing against the spoons and children running around the house squealing with joy It was a brand new day and the village was ready to face the day Accept for one man Santa Clause Sant walked outside to find shops opening children running about the streets and the sun gleaming in his eyes Santa thought to himself there would be no place where he would be able to be productive Santa decided he had to find a place where he could let the Christmas tradition come alive He ran back inside to start researching on his map The next thing he heard knocks at his wooden door Two children run in with boxes of candy canes yelling For sale Santa asked what there names are Responding excited they say Ellen and Jack With all the excitement Ellen threw a box into the air and ripped the map Ellen couldn t believe what she had done Santa looked like he had just lost his mother Ellen went up to Santa with a very sad look like her face she looked at Santa with despair she whimpered Sorry 20

Santa said it was ok and dismissed them out the door Santa had to find another way to get to a new location A couple days later after many trips to find a map he has finally found the place The North Pole This is the place where he would be successful the place where he would carry out the tradition of Christmas So it was set he would leave in the morning He had to travel on his sleigh with his reindeers after long days of obstacles he was there Arriving to the powdery snowy place was magical it was a whole new world Years and years went by Christmases had come and gone but at this point all the elves were starting to get bored with their regular life The elves got tired of making present after presents with no reward Eventually there was no one left The town of Flankerville was blunt there was no more joy and laughter because Santa had always had Christmas party s The town came together and decided they would go visit Santa On one special Christmas Eve they were knocks at Santa door It was Ellen and Jack after all these years they had come on this special day all the way to the North Pole Ellen told Santa that she was sorry for tearing up his map and she wanted to help him in any way they could Santa looked confused Ellen opened up the door to find the whole village of Flankerville ready to help All presents were delivered that night The North pole is not just a place where Santa can live quietly anymore but a place where he can be with the ones he loves the most 21

Waddles On Ice The Origin Story of Ice Skating By Makena Eugster It was a cold and fresh winter day in Lake Tahoe A new layer of soft powdery snow sprinkled the ground as Jeremiah breathed in the crisp air The small boy s dirty blonde hair gleamed as the sun hit his head Jeremiah smiled to himself it was the day before Christmas and he couldn t be more excited Jeremiah had it all planned out He would wrap the gifts he bought for his family and set them under the tree for the next day For his sister he bought a hardcover of her favorite book Little Women And for his parents he made them paintings at his school Jacob Jeremiah s best friend was coming over to help him The two mischievous third graders had a lot to do Come on Jacob let s go play Jeremiah exclaimed Jeremiah threw on his soft green overcoat and stepped into the frosty world around him While Jeremiah and Jacob were busy crafting lopsided snowmen and abnormally shaped snow angels Matilda had an idea I m going for a walk Ma I ll be back before supper Matilda yelled Ok but don t forget to wear your snow shoes Bye sweetie Matilda s mom was busy in the kitchen working on her famous creamy lasagna Matilda couldn t wait for the one night a year her mom put together her favorite meal She could almost taste the sweet sauce mixed with the soft cheese melting in her mouth Matilda walked outside into the cold and headed towards the red rustic barn that their parents had built for Jeremiah and Matilda when they were still crawling The hinges creaked when Matilda entered the old barn as the musty odor of hay and the pungent smell of last night s potato stew filled her nose Matilda heard a sound as Jeremiah s pet pig Waddles approached her He snorted in disgust when he realized who it was Matilda was not the pig s favorite in fact he hated her Matilda loved to prank her brother and most of 22

the time the target was Waddles The fat speckled pig squealed as if he had seen a ghost when Matilda picked him up and brought him outside Okay Waddles We are going to have some fun but don t make a sound Matilda whispered to the pig She had the perfect place in mind The lake behind the house had frozen during the winter and she knew for a fact Jeremiah wouldn t be able to get Waddles from there He was afraid of the water The cold drifted off the ice and sent chills down Matilda s spine As she pushed Waddles onto the freezing grey ice a little crack the size of a twig appeared Hopefully you don t break the ice Matilda giggled to herself This was going to be the best prank yet She gave Waddles one last shove and Waddles let out one more glass shattering squeal before Matilda turned to go back to the house Matilda ran past her brother and Jacob and straight to her room so the boys didn t have time to ask her questions Later in the evening the resounding noise of the doorbell startled everyone Jeremiah came inside and started yelling Where is Waddles I went into the barn and she wasn t there I have looked everywhere Everyone s heads turned towards Matilda Fine I did it Matilda sighed and rolled her green eyes He s out on the lake Jeremiah immediately sprinted towards the lake When he got to the edge he panicked He didn t want to crack the ice but he needed to get Waddles So he decided to face his fears and run It was as if someone had poured a bottle of vegetable oil on the ground and Jeremiah couldn t gain his balance After a few minutes he started to slide slowly over to his destination He grabbed the shivering Waddles and skated back to the house Jeremiah wasn t allowed to bring Waddles into the house normally but it was a special occasion The warmth flooded all around him and the aroma of burning hot wood greeted him at 23

the door He joined his family by the roaring fire and took a seat on a rough worn down chair His family was worried and kept asking What happened out there How did you get him off the ice Jeremiah laughed and said two words Ice skating So when you go ice skating this winter you can remember Jeremiah and how this tradition came to be 24

Grinchy Christmas The Origin Story of the Grinch By Grace Fannon 1996 The smell of warm cinnamon filled cider wavered in the air and the long slick black piano played festive Christmas songs Children s loving laughter and relatives old stories filled the room The small warmth coming off of the fire place and luscious pine filled Christmas tree sat in the middle of the room A giant feast was placed on the long brown table in the dinning room just waiting to be eaten That was all happening next door George pressed his hands against the wall hoping for a little warmth to come off from the fire place No warmth would come but he still sat there just as if he were part of the family He thought of himself sitting with all the children opening gifts under the tree or having a huge meal and a family to share it with Then he stopped himself George he said to himself You are not supposed to think about Christmas At this thought his faced dropped His dad was working a late shift tonight so he sat in their cold icey apartment on Christmas Eve by himself A small crystal like tear began to drip down his small pail face George had no family other than his dad to spend Christmas with he knew he would not be getting any colorfully wrapped presents because they didn t have enough money and he knew there would be no big delicious feast George went to his room and grabbed the only blanket him and his dad owned It was a plain green knitted blanket that had many stains on it He sat in the only piece of furniture they had and waited for his dad to come home Slowly his eyes became heavy and glued shut There was a quiet sniffle almost a snore by the time the door slowly creeped open A father with loving eyes stared at his son Tears slowly formed in his eyes 25

He tried to smile once more and wipe away his tears and vanished into the only other room in the house George slowly opened his eyes and raced to the other room and hugged his father Merry Christmas George said His father shook his head but smiled 2004 George is fifteen and was doing well at his school Top in all of his classes and all the teachers favorite Until he got the horrible life changing news His dad had fallen horribly ill George had to take multiple long hardworking weeks off of school He had to get a full time job to pay for his dad s treatment It was no use No matter what George did working late night shifts and extra jobs all of those things didn t matter His father soon died on Christmas A soon hatred began in the bottom of his stomach The one person he loved had died on supposedly the happiest day of the year He hated it all The smell of warm cinnamon filled cider and the long slick black piano that played festive Christmas songs The small warmth coming of from the fire place and luscious pine filled Christmas tree that everyone seemed to have A giant feast that he never had enough money to make Christmas was ruined for George The holiday season no longer had meaning Over the years George ignored Christmas He had this rage that burned like a wild fire in his stomach whenever the holiday season came around He trudged through the streets with a dark lonely expression People were to afraid to come up to him and he was fine with that He was fine alone He was what the people called The Grinch 26

The Day of Welcome The Origin Story of the Macy s Parade By Lola Gambino A cold fall breeze passes through the City of New York on a foggy November day in 1927 Another joyful Thanksgiving passed and Christmas is on its way People are bussing about their daily lives while in the old parade balloons are quietly sitting in the old warehouse making as much noise as a mouse They all await their turn to bring a magical joy to all and to escape the cold and metallic place they call home Every day the balloons sit in the warehouse filled with brown wooden crates forgotten objects concrete floors doing nothing Felix the Cat goes about his day making sure all the blimps are at ease Felix was the first balloon ever made in the wear house which makes him in charge He is 10 ft tall has is black with white around his face Suddenly Felix hears something It starts as quiet as cricket then it grows to a lion cubs roar Someone is calling his name Felix Felix Matt the Soldier shouts Matt is a green solder He was initially supposed to be for the military parade but when it finished they tossed him in here like he was garbage Hey Matt Responds Felix Whats the problem Dino got a whole again and is crying like a big baby Can you come down and calm him down Ya no problem As Felix follows Matt to where Dino is Felix can hear someone wailing very loudly Felix can begin to make out Dino in the distance even though he is far away Dino is a very tall balloon 27

because he is a green scaly dinosaur and yet though he seems to be very tough he has the mind and heart of a two year old OH NO IM DEFLATING Felix can hear Dino scream This is the end of the line for me Tell everyone that I loved them even that annoying clown that always bothers me As Felix gets closer to Dino he can see that Dino is talking to one of the nurse balloons that were supposed to be used for the Children s Hospital s parade that never happened The nurse looks to be annoyed with Dino Relax Dino says Felix while floating up to Dino Its just a small whole Now how did you get it I I I was playing chase with one of the monkey balloons and I fell down on a nail Cries Dino Oh brother You wouldn t last a day in the outside world I don t understand why you even want to go out there Whats wrong with in here Says Matt You want to go out there asks Felix surprised Felix thought that Dino loved the wear house Ya pipes up Dino Who suddenly is as happy as a clam Out there I don t have to sleep on an ice cold concrete floor be judged on how I act and I can get to meet some new friends Also I ve never been out there except for when I was being moved here but that was so long ago and I don t remember it Felix can tell how upset Dino is He can hear it in his voice It sounds like Dino is on the verge of crying again Felix decides that it d be best for Dino to get some sleep He always feels better after a good nights rest 28

Hey Dino How bout you get some sleep Its late and I can tell your tired But I don t want to go to sleep Complains Dino but it s too late he s already in bed and half asleep Felix and Matt walk away from Dino trying not to make a single sound Its a shame that Dino doesn t remember the outside world says Matt as soon as their out of earshot I can still remember my days brought joy to all the tiny tots of the world when I was in the Military parade Then the minute they were done with me they threw me in here like I was yesterday s news Ya I miss those times too says Felix Then he comes up with a great idea Wait a minute Why don t we sneak out and throw our own parade We could get out of here again and feel fresh air blow passed us as we strut down the streets of New York Hey That s a great idea Exclaims Matt How bout we leave at twilight tomorrow Twilight Felix says Daybreak explains Matt Got it Let s do it Yawns Felix as they drift off to sleep Dawn arrived creating long faced shadows throughout the wear house It welcomed itself and came in quieter than silence Matt awoke from a dream slowly and remembered his agreement with Felix He got up slower than a snail to wake Felix up 29

Felix Hey Felix get up Shouted Matt in a whisper We gotta wake up Dino and get out of here We re going to have a parade I already gathered some other balloons like the dragon the elephant and the hummingbird Great job Matt Let me just wake up Dino and we ll get on our way said Felix floating to go get Dino but to their surprise Dino was already up and floating towards them I heard about your plan last night so I decided to take care of the guard Said Dino What asked Matt and Felix a little taken aback I floated over toward the exit and scared him away said Dino proudly Oh Dino what are we going to do with you says Felix As the balloons floated down 145th avenue and find themselves near a police station There are two cops outside who are staying up at the strange looking aircrafts in horror Those two run away and five more come out and start to chase the balloons down 145th all the way to 50th At 50th the balloons find themselves being stared at by all kinds of people Some of the little kids giggle and clap Somewhere music starts and the big balloons raise their heads high and walk down the street proudly The police stop chasing and smile along with everyone else As the balloons floated down the street they walked in front of the Macy s Store and everyone thought that the parade was the stores idea That was the first Thanksgiving parade and its been happening ever since 30

Catching Santa The Origin Story of Why You Can t Sleep on Christmas Eve By Colin Hagan How can you hate Christmas so much father Jerry asked at dinner You wouldn t understand you re just a child Richard retorted Then help me understand anyways Jerry screamed Don t you take that tone with me young man Go to your room I don t want to see you until tomorrow morning yelled Richard Jerry ran upstairs to his small little room at the end of the hall sobbing He sat down and pulled out his beat up leather journal December 24 256 Dear diary I can never figure out why father hates Christmas so much Maybe he doesn t think Santa is real Someday I am going to find out why he hates Christmas so much Tonight when he and mother go to sleep I am going to sneak downstairs and I am going to stay awake until Santa comes when he does I am going to get a picture of him then father will have no reason to hate Christmas Back downstairs Richard and Sally discussed why Richard hates Christmas Honey you must get over your hatred of Christmas said Sally You know it s not that easy Sal my parents died on Christmas I can t just get over something like that barked Richard At least act a little more happy around Christmas if not for me then for Jerry said Sally 31

I don t want to talk about this anymore I m going to bed Richard said his voice softer Then he finished off his martini and went upstairs Sally right behind him Jerry heard the stair squeak and rushed into bed as fast as he could Sally came in and kissed Jerry goodnight and went to bed When Jerry thought his parents were asleep he tiptoed downstairs careful to skip the squeaky step He went into his father s small musty office and grabbed his only camera Then the waiting game started Jerry sat on the old leather couch for what felt like hours with his camera ready to see Santa His eyes began to droop as his adrenaline started to wear off He finally drifted off and as he did he dropped the camera with a crack Richard and Sally awoke to the sound of the camera dropping and groggily went downstairs to check out what was going on When they got there they found Jerry asleep on the couch and their little tree bare except for a little angel topper surrounded by presents Jerry what are you doing down here Richard asked Huh Oh I wanted to get you a picture of Santa so you would stop hating Christmas Jerry replied still half asleep Is that my camera broken on the floor Jerry Jackson asked Richard his voice rising Oh I didn t realize I dropped it it must of happened when I was asleep Jerry replied realizing what happened That s it you re grounded and I m canceling Christmas You disobeyed me by coming down here and broke my only camera Richard yelled Jerry started to cry and Sally rushed over to comfort him I w was j just trying to h help you like Christmas Jerry sobbed in his mother s arms 32

Despite Christmas being cancelled that year Jerry continued to try and get a photo of Santa for his father every year He continued this tradition each year until both he and his father died Every year his father became a little more understanding and supportive of Jerry trying to get him a photo realizing that he just wanted to give his father the best gift of all love Now each Christmas it is said that Jerry s loving spirit embodies all of us trying to get a glimpse of Santa for his father and so we cannot sleep as Jerry s quest flows through us 33

The Snowman Attacks The Origin Story of The Snowman By Boden Hammett There is a town in Norway called Vossevangen and not many people live or visit there It is a very small town that is surrounded by snowy mountains and is placed in a green valley with many trees Vossevangen is one of the most boring towns you will ever visit But one day a creature that looked like no other showed up there This is the story of the Snowman During this time of year Vossevangen s mountains are packed with mounds upon mounds of powdery white snow The town is known by the villagers as the rolling snow village because of its mass of avalanches during these months The slightest movement can send tons of snow down these monotonous mountains One day a rock came loose bellow the snow packs and so the avalanche started It was the largest avalanche ever recorded The shear size of it was insane Like a white powdery wall that brings destruction It came down those mountains faster then anything the villagers have ever seen But it eventually stopped Right before hitting the town The villagers then went back to their usual routine Then when all the snow floated back down to the Earth A figure came from beneath the snow The figure was covered in snow and had twigs as arms and his nose He also had two rocks as a set of eyes This figure was soon to be known as the Snowman The Snowman was very happy and was full of love He was also very curious about where he was This was his first time on Earth so he was clueless But he saw a small town at the bottom of the hill So he made his way towards the small town When he got there the villagers saw the Snowman and they ran back into their homes 34

The town leader liddledorf once told the townspeople to attack whatever isn t human or isn t recognized many years before So the villagers followed his commands When they came out of their homes they were equipped with pitchforks and swords They ran towards the Snowman at full speed yelling and screaming The Snowman was still standing at the exact spot from where he was standing from when he first entered the village He was amazed by the homes and the people that were running towards him He also started to move towards them with open arms But the villagers didn t know he was nice So they threw their pitchforks at him piercing his snow belly So he retreated and ran away to a small cave at the base of the mountain He was then full of anger and was eager for revenge He wanted to destroy the villagers of Vossevangen So the next day he was going to go back and kill all of the villagers that attacked him Meanwhile Liddledorf was thinking of a plan to kill the so called Snowman The villagers had many ideas but Liddledorf knew they all wouldn t work But then one man stepped forward His name was Chupmun and he was known as the village thinker He knew that in the past fires have melted ice So he didn t see any reason why a fire wouldn t kill the Snowman either So he told Liddledorf his idea saying we could use fire because fire has melted ice in the past and I don t think there s any reason it wouldn t melt this Snowman Liddledorf said good idea Chupmun We ll try it out The towns people were told to build torches in preparation for the next time the Snowman arrived 35

Then when the Snowman was ready He left his cave and started to make his way towards the town But the villagers scouts saw him coming So the villagers got their torches ready and got in their positions When the Snowman arrived he didn t see anyone and was confused While he was thinking about where the villagers were the villagers made their move All the villagers ran towards the Snowman led by Chupmun but this time with torches But the Snowman was ready and he shot icicles at the coming villagers Instantly 13 villagers dropped to the floor dead This however fed the villagers rage even more So they ran even faster towards him and they threw their torches at the Snowman The Snowman was surrounded by torches and slowly started to melt The Villagers won the battle In commemoration of the battle Liddledorf made it a tradition to make Snowmen during the month of the fight From now on during December you will see many Snowmen reminding us of the story of the first Snowman 36

That s Ugly The Origin Story of Ugly Christmas Sweaters By Lucas Havlin It is a cold bleak day in the small town of Bristow Bristow right in between the Sandy Hills and the Mountains of Noel Snow lines the grey dirty cobblestone streets and the wooden roofs of the buildings and the nose tingling pine trees their scent dampened by the snow It is December 10 and the people of the town wearing their flannels and fleeces and fluffy scarves are all out and about eager to buy Christmas gifts for their loved ones The crisp winter air freshening their moods while simultaneously making the hairs on their backs stand up straight The wind as if it was biting their fingertips and noses as it passed by blew through the town numbing their whole bodies On Pine Street right through the alleyway there lives a man in a small cabin The roof is a little slanted but no one seems to mind Inside there is a big warm fireplace a large couch and a big mug full of hot chocolate and a man Stanley Adams a forty three year old hand madesweater salesman had had an idea for a new sweater while he was sitting in front of his fire the crackling warmth thawing his frozen body Stanley would make a Christmas themed sweater He had been needing a new idea that would make everyone in the town want to buy them and this was it He would knit snowflakes and snowmen and Santa and reindeer and elves and Christmas trees and gingerbread men and wreaths and bells and red and green and a partridge in a pear tree Stanley plans to advertise these new Christmas sweaters next week to his town by putting a banner outside of his shop Stanley lives right off of Main Street so the banner will be seen by many 37

Stanley gets right to work knitting his new Christmas themed garments that he will begin to sell the next day Just as he had finished two sweaters Stanley remembers that he had forgotten to take down a banner for his project from the month before The banner read Thanksgiving Themed Sweaters Yep that was a flop Stanley had thought to himself after not a single person had even asked about his Thanksgiving themed sweaters The Thanksgiving sweaters had cornucopias and pumpkins and fruit and corn and pie and mashed potatoes and leaves and and brown and orange and a turkey in an oven I guess no one wanted images of food knit into their sweaters Stanley wasn t too mad because it was about to be winter Stanley s favorite time of year Winter is the best season for Stanley s store because in Bristow during the winter you need at least eight layers to keep yourself mildly warm As the weather gets colder business booms for Stanley s store A person in need of warmth sees Stanley s old banner for Thanksgiving sweaters The man opens the door and along with seemingly half of the snow in Bristow walks in Felix Foster a grocer at the Bristow Market sits down in front of the fire taking his layers off to dry as he is greeted by Stanley Stanley wants to see if someone would be interested in his Christmas sweaters Stanley says So what can I do for ya I would like one of those Thanksgiving sweaters Do you still have any I assume you must have sold out Felix says Stanley is surprised and says Oh I might have one more in the back somewhere Stanley walks to the back of the store 38

Make sure it has turkey on it Felix calls after Stanley What a genius idea he says to himself I love having images of food knit into my sweater The back of the store is mostly Thanksgiving sweaters that didn t get sold from last month dust covering every single one like a blanket Stanley picks up one of his newly made Christmas sweaters and brings it out to the man trying to pitch his new product to the customer Here ya go says Stanley What is this Felix says bluntly Oh that Oh I must have accidentally brought you one of my All New ChristmasThemed Sweaters he says enthusiastically I can get you the other one if you want Or you can just have this one instead Felix scoffs Who would want a Christmas themed sweater That s ugly he laughs to himself then says Now go get my turkey sweater Felix Foster pays for his turkey sweater and walks back out into the extreme cold Stanley Adams sits down thinking Why didn t he want my All New Christmas Themed Sweater To be fair thats exactly what I said last month He chuckles But this is different This is a great idea I think people will actually like this What s not to like As the days grow further into December more and more people come into Stanley s shop seeking warmth And every time Stanley pitches his All New Christmas Themed Sweater he beats bad responses That s ugly said one person Absolutely horrid said another Horrific said a third 39

Please its Christmas Stanley had said Stanley was getting desperate The person yelled back Its December 15 That last one stuck with Stanley How could someone call a sweater horrific let alone the All New Christmas Themed Sweater Stanley didn t understand Stanley thought for a long while then finally came up with a fantastic idea An idea that would make all other ideas jealous An idea that would make everyone in the town want to buy an All New Christmas Themed Sweater The next day Stanley changed his banner He changed it to All New Ugly Christmas Sweater All he had to do was change the name so that everyone knows its ugly before they buy it maybe people would actually want to wear it Soon enough Stanley was proven right Everyone in the town wanted to buy an ugly Christmas sweater That s ugly they would say And Stanley would proudly respond I know To this day ugly Christmas sweaters are still a symbol of Christmas and are loved by all 40

Last Name and Toes The Origin Story of Mistletoe By Fiorella Kennedy The final check before I go to school is alway annoying but it s a habit I brush my chestnut brown hair slip on my dark denim jeans a white shirt with a red sweater and red shoes and I m ready I finish packing my backpack for school by a new book I got for my birthday last month It s about the human body and I m super exited to read it later Today s Monday I m going to the library to do homework and then to read my brand new book First I have to get through the day I get in my old rusty truck with my mom she turns on the ignition and asked Do you have your phone Yes Your keys Yes I m only ten but my mom puts a lot of responsibility on me She bought me an iPhone6 and I haven t seen much need for it but I guess it s kind of fun to carry it around and have the big kids wish they had one Nice sweater My older brother says laughing His name is Sebbe and he used to be fun I used to always tag along with his friends but he is six years older and doesn t really like me anymore He s always off with his girlfriend Hannah and his jock friends I look down and I m wearing the ugly sweater grandma knit for me but only for moms sake I hate it it s itchy and scratchy and super annoying but who do I have to impress 41

I jump out of the car quickly and I feel like I have escaped slavery I ready for my day and then a shining light hits me coming from a tall girl Two other girls follow her I go up and try to say Hi but I trip and then the bell rings I quickly ran to my locker grab my box and sprint over to my class Then I see her I sit next to her and then the door slams shut I made it just on time The teacher just arrived and tells us that she needed to go print some papers I think This is my chance Hello I say shyly Hi She says annoyed In a devastated tone of voice I say Im Johnny what s your name She says I m Mariposa I m fourteen Five and and a half feet tall love Brandy Melville and don t like pesky little kids I m not interested What s you re last name I say half laughing MISTLE She yelled That s the last encounter I had with her I said to my best friend Maud as we walk to the library She normally doesn t come to the library with me but her parents are both working so I invited her to the library We finished out homework together when her mom called She was outside so Maud quickly gathered her stuff said a quick good bye and rushed out the library door I was left alone when I remembered my book Excitedly I pulled it out of my backpack I just started reading about the feet when I got distracted I marked page 72 it was about toes I started thinking about Mariposa Then it occurred to me I was going to win Mariposa by dedicating something to her First I thought I should come up with a name Then I will decide what the name will mean I thought of our first encounter she yelled Mistle than I looked back at my book It was my turn to scream MISTLETOE I got kicked out of the library because I was too loud I am overjoyed about my new name but I m starting to worry about staying warm 42

Boo My Mom is behind me I came to pick you up early It s just about Christmas I thought we could buy our tree today I quickly nodded my head and we scurried into the car Of course party pooper was already in there He told Mom about when I fell today and I know my mom was trying not to laugh but she still soothed me She smiled at Sebbe and I glowered at him When we got to the tree parlor Mariposa was there I didn t talk to her but I know she saw me I m guessing that tomorrow she is going to tell me to stop following her I can feel it and if I tell her the truth she will tell me to stop talking We got our tree and headed home I got to school early today and sat in my seat Mariposa arrived early too I put my headphones in and pretended to listen to music It didn t fool her She yanks them out of my ear neatly folds them up and places them on my desk She says that she saw me at the tree parlor yesterday and I nod my head showing her that I agree I was expecting it to come it didn t Her answer to me was completely different than what I expected She says I saw you with Sebbe he s friends with Brock Do you think you could tell Sebbe to put in a good word for me My jaw dropped astonished I shake my head yes and immediately regretted it The bell rang She said Your brother I nodded again She smiled and faced the teacher During the whole class period I visualized what I would say to Sebbe He would tell me to go away or shut up and I would have to be persistent to keep my promise to Mariposa That night I went to Sebbe s room I need to tell you something I blurted out He was in a good mood Me too Hannah and I are going on our 100th date tomorrow I smiled and gave him a woohoo 43

My turn Mariposa He nodded She told me to tell you to tell you to put in a good word for her to Brock Understand As he calculated on his fingers what I just explained he said Yes He also told me that all the jocks were interested in her so she has a good chance with him I said Thank you and good luck for tomorrow He smiles The next day I tell Mariposa everything Her smile gets bigger and bigger and she looks more perfect by the second But sadly I remember I m not interested Later that day I walk past the jocks and my brother and hear She s pretty and all but I don t like her Do it for popularity someone suggests Or put in a word for me someone else says Brock gets a mischievous smile This is my chance to get more instagram followers I scurry away and avoid Mariposa for the rest of the day The next morning morning announcement is blaring all over the school There are posters everywhere Next Friday is the Christmas Ball You can go by yourself with some friends or with a date Whatever you choose it s Christmas themed Everyone cheers People start asking others immediately it was funny to see the people that were rejected sitting in the corner but also sad All the girls were squealing What am I going to wear Everyone was already getting in the party mood Mariposa asked me Did you tell Sebbe I shook my head yes 44

She smiled and gave me a hug I m going to ask him today she says excitedly I point to the door Brock is standing there with a cheesy smile and a poster The poster says Mariposa will you go to the Christmas ball with me Check yes or no Mariposa shyly walks over and grabs the pen from Brock s hair and checks Yes I m devastated but I smile when she looks over at me and mouths Thank You The next day we didn t have class together but I saw her at her locker and she waved I waved back It s the weekend I finally get to stay home and do nothing I remember my dedication I finished that human body book and I m reading about plants now It s a boring book so I just look at the pictures Then my idea comes back Mistletoe could be a plant And when you stand under it with someone else you have to kiss them no matter what I got super pumped about my thought I rush to the store and buy 200 seeds for a weird looking plant that I m going to claim Mistletoe On Monday I m going to propose it to the principal That s lovely Says our 60 year old principal Lily Parker We can hang it on the ceiling of our gym for the Christmas ball Midway through the dance we will ask you to do a quick presentation on it and you can describe what it does I smiled and said thank you what felt like a thousand times She laughed and sent me on my way That night I asked Sebbe if he had a small suit I could wear He checked the back of his closet and pulled out a black suit with dark blue shoes and a dark blue tie In sync we said It s perfect Thursday night I stayed at school so I could hang all 200 of my mistletoe plants on the ceiling The leaves have grown small red berries that give them more of a Christmas y look I m 45

happy with my work and my mom picks me up Friday is the longest day ever Everyone is talking in class getting detentions on Monday but at the end of each class the teachers say Just this once I ll let you slide The students sigh and say thank you but they were expecting it The bell rings and everyone sprints to their cars or home Sebbe invites Hannah over so in our old rusty car of four Hannah and Sebbe are squished in the back with Mom and I in the front seat I take a quick shower and put on my suit My brother does my hair and I feel so mature I don t have a date I just want to look good for my presentation Maud asked me to go with her and I said As friends right She shook her head no and walked away I felt bad but not that bad Im only ten I don t need a girlfriend When I walk in Mariposa is hugging Brock Mariposa s friends and Brock s friends are circling them with cameras As most of them walk away I pull out my phone and take a picture They walk inside and my jaw drops First I see how amazing my camera is than I see Brock s face There is a smirk a mischievous smile just like when I heard them talking earlier in the week I followed him around for a little bit and heard things like Followers are already pouring in and soon I m going to be the most popular in town I don t want to ruin it for Mariposa so I decide to stay away from her Lily our 60 year old principal hobbled over to me and told me it was my turn to DJ I went to the stage and stopped the music I yelled Freeze Everyone look up you see those green plants with the berries That s called mistletoe I looked at Mariposa and she smiled at me I smiled back If your standing under it it means you have to kiss the person that s also under it Whether on the cheek or on the lips No matter what The lights dimmed and the DJ put on some 46

classical music The last day before break was on Monday I waked up the block to see Mariposa smacking Brock Jerk You used me for followers on Instagram That s so low I d rather be with Johnny the ten year old No offense None taken I say That was a lie but it worked in the moment Brock laughed and walked away Mariposa stomped over to me and grabbed something out of her pocket A mistletoe she stuck it over both of our heads and kissed me gently in the cheek I know when I said that I would rather be with you even if you are ten stung and I m sorry That Christmas break I was so happy and so was Sebbe so we had a great break He confronted me and said Im sorry if I was too mean or harsh with you Thanks I say Sebbe says Do you know how Mariposa found out that he just wanted her for followers I took your phone because I saw that you took your first picture and I wanted to see you photography skills They weren t good but your camera was good enough to catch the expression on Brock s face I showed it to Mariposa I also told her that Brock said that he just wanted to be popular so he used her She didn t believe me at first but then I told her you had a crush on her she believed me then and the whole episode manifested itself this morning He smiled guiltily and I wasn t happy about the things he did but I was grateful that he is looking out for me 47

Little Boy Timmy The Origin Story of Santa Claus By Dominic Kunz It was a cold night brutal you could walk out with a water bottle and it would freeze in an instant It had been a rough couple of months for Santa he had been regretting all the things he hadn t done with his life He had an amazing beautiful jolly old and caring wife he had a caregiver that helped around the house and his name was Clide Clide was always there for Santa he had been with him for 10 years Santa wanted to do more he needed to do more he didn t do enough with his life He then heard Santa can you come in for dinner I cooked your favorite said Mrs Claus from the kitchen Santa walks in and see mountains of dirty dishes and dirty plates every inch of the kitchen covered in some type of food Santa says Why is it so dirty in here it was fine it other day Mrs Claus replies I cooked your favorite steak with gravy fries on the side Santa sat down with no hesitation Where s Clide Santa asked He went out I told him to get some time to himself he has been working really hard Santa went to sleep in his big comfy and torn down chair Santa had that chair since him and Mrs Claus got married he had it for 38 years Santa woke up the next morning with Clide sitting there on the brand new couch they had just got it you could smell the freshness of it Clide got up in a heartbeat to tend to Santa s many needs 48

What do you need this fine morning What can I get you for breakfest Do you need me to head into town for you What do you need Clide was speaking so fast Santa couldn t comprehend what he was being asked Santa just got up and said 30 more years to live Clide responsed I cant get you that Santa and you know that Santa then walked to the bathroom and did his morning routine He walked out to seeing Clide cooking breakfest I made green eggs and ham I know it your favorite Santa replied saying I only like it cause of the green After breakfest Santa needed sometime away from the house so he went into the town He walked into Yonkervile and he saw a kid crying and he was holding his knee Someone please help me it hurts and it is bleeding the kid said Santa rushed over to help him Here lets get you patched up Santa pulled a band aid out of his pocket with a tree on it The litttle boy asked Why does it have a tree on they are only used for fires Santa replied and said I love trees pine trees are my favorite I have a pine tree in the corner of my living room Why would you put a tree in your house the boy asked The smell is so refreshing I wake every morning and go an just sit next to it and just smell it Santa replied The little was all better and he stood up and gave Santa a big hug The little boy Timmy ran back to his house that moment Santa realized what he could do to make his life better He ran home and he didn t say hello to Mrs Clause he just ran to Clide and said Follow me to the the shed I need your help with something 49

Clide ran to the shed and he said What was so important I need your help building a sleigh Clide said Why would you ever use a sleigh Santa said I want to give presents to all the kids in Yonkervile Ok Santa let s get to work Santa and Clide were in the shed for days Mrs Claus was working on making Santa a big coat and hat for him to wear so he wouldn t get sick After days of work Santa and Clide had finished they sleigh But there was a probably they needed something to pull it Clide said Maybe we could use the reindeer out back Santa said that will have to do Santa went into town with Clide and his big bushy suit They went to the town and they gave gifts to all the little boys and girls All the the boys and girls would wake up to see many presents in their room They went to one house that Santa gave him speacial gift he came to the little boy Timmy s the boy he helped in the town square He gave him a speacial gift he gave him a small pine tree tree band aids and tree pajamas Every December 25 Santa came to the town and gave little presents to everyone but every year he extended to it to a town over That s the story of Santa Claus 50

Mr Mouse and the Old Lady The Origin Story of Candy Cane By Christy Latch Long ago in the North Pole lived an old woman She was always full of Christmas cheer and everyone she met felt compelled by her warmth and love Her house a small and cozy cottage was in the middle of the woods In her cottage it alway felt like Christmas There was garlands over the crackling fire place and the delicious smell of cookies baking in the oven The spicy yet minty smelling Christmas tree was replaced by a new and better one each couple of months The current tree was adorned with many lights of various vibrant colors and the red and green ornaments shone like bright stars The old woman had just come back from the store her big loving arm cradling the groceries to make more cakes and cookies Mr Mouse she called I bought some more supplies Mr Mouse a very old and very fragile field mouse limped out of his decorated hole Coming dear He shouted in reply He was dressed in a evergreen coat and had a teeny tiny gold pocket watch His top hat was slightly crooked and his spectacles rested neatly on his snout He held a small wooden cane that helped him move around Mr Mouse looked at his pocket watch and said You re ten minutes late The old woman sighed and shook off her enormous fur coat and hung it on a coat rack I know but there was a group of carolers and I watched them for a while The mouse hobbled up to the woman s boots and laughed I should have guessed since you always have a kind heart Would you be so kind as to lift me onto the table do we can have a proper conversation The old woman happily obliged The pair laughed and sang all night as they baked and then rested by the fire in a giant warm armchair They munched on freshly baked cookies and listened to Christmas music As they went to retire to bed Mr Mouse and the old lady wished each other a restful sleep 51

As Mr Mouse approached his hole he stumbled and fell He tried to use the cane to push himself up but then the sturdy wooden cane snapped in two He fell right onto his nose with a big Oof Mr Mouse dazed sat upright but couldn t hold himself up for long He flopped onto his back and shouted Help Help I ve fallen and my cane broke The old woman rushed to the commotion She gasped when she saw what had happened Oh dear She said We ll just have to make you a new one She scooped up the little mouse and placed him on her kitchen counter Now let s see here She said We can t go outside for its far too cold and the store would be closed anyway As she was rummaging through her cabinets and drawers Mr Mouse said I ll never be able to walk the same ever again He started to sob The old woman stopped ravaging through her kitchen and gently stroked his back Hush now dear I will make you and ever better cane than the last The little mouse looked up and wiped a tear from his face Really he said Really she replied The old lady was resourceful and very creative she never would have made a plain old cane for the mouse She decided the make the cane edible But not just edible but sweet tasting and something Christmas y So she set to work mixing measuring and concocting a sort of sugar mix which she left out to dry in the shape of a cane She decorated the tiny edible cane with red and white stripes and flavored it peppermint After a What seemed like forever the cane was finally ready The old woman gingerly lifted the cane off of the sheet and placed it on the ground for the mouse to use Mr Mouse carefully righted himself up with the striped cane The old woman held her breath fearing that it would break Mr mouse walked around testing his new 52

cane out It didn t break Oh thank God Said the old woman I can walk Thank you so very much Mr Mouse said The old woman chuckled and said You are very welcome They said goodnight and set off to bed In the morning the old woman skipped to the kitchen ready for a new day Mr Mouse She called Your breakfast is getting cold She didn t hear a reply Nor had the small old mouse hobbled out of his hole like he did everyday Mr Mouse The woman said again a little more concerned Sadly over night the mouse had died He fell asleep and never woke up He died peacefully and with a heart full of love The old woman buried him outside When her relatives came they asked where the mouse was With a sad and heavy heart the old woman told them what had happened Every year during Christmas the old woman made candy canes and always laid a special one over her dear friend s grave Soon after she too fell asleep and never woke up She was buried next to her friend So her family every year would make candy canes in their honor Soon their children and their children s children did the same Now everyone eats candy canes around Christmas to remember the kind hearted old woman and the little mouse 53

Lightning The Origin Story of Snow By Mimi Ludwig Some people look at the snow and think of how the weather is but it s nothing about the weather A long time ago there was no snow Yes there was rain sun clouds but no snow This is the story of how snow became Our story begins on a cold brisk morning in Forestville a small town surrounded by tall green firs clear blue lakes and pointy mountains Sara Nickelsby was at the farmers market to pick up some herbs to make tea Sara was eighteen years old beautiful with bright green eyes and curly shiny strawberry red hair She was engaged to David Hemsworth a twenty year old business man who was very successful and exceedingly handsome yet extremely boring Sara s mother wanted her to marry into a wealthy family to carry on the family fortune David traveled for business and had been gone for six weeks Sara was looking at white hydrangeas when Owen Wilson ran into her Owen was nineteen with blonde hair and dreamy turquoise blue eyes He lived life as an adventurer going where life took him picking up jobs along the way to keep himself fed Owen loved the market where he was currently employed He helped bring the fresh caught fish from the dock to the farmers market The pay wasn t that bad a pound an hour and he liked watching the waves crash on the dock leaving tiny ripples as it headed back out to sea Owen was placing salmon on ice when Roger his boss told him to go back to the docks to fetch more fish from the newly docked boats Owen ran as fast as he could because he knew that Roger hated to wait he looked back at Roger in his white apron with fish guts smeared across the front and ran straight into Sara knocking her to the ground Ahh she screamed as she was thrown to the pavement 54

I m so sorry ma am Owen said holding out his hand to pull her up Time froze when their eyes met the world stopped revolving as they looked at each other Oh Sara said as she accepted Owen s hand and he gently pulled her up from the ground I m really sorry for running into you I wasn t paying attention Owen said itching the back of his head trying to think of something more to say Well I forgive you I m Sara Nickelsby Sara said with a shy smile I m Owen Wilson he said shaking her hand Sara knew in that second she was in love with this stranger named Owen Owen knew in that second he was in love with this beautiful woman named Sara They stared deep into each other s eyes Owen s eyes were so blue you could swim in them Do you want to grab a bite I m on my lunch break Owen asked Oh I shouldn t Sara said looking disappointed Please let me take you to lunch I just knocked you to the ground it is the least I could do said Owen Well if you insist said Sara not ready to end their conversation It only took that lunch for them to fall in love with each other Sara would sneak out of her house at night just to see Owen a couple of weeks had gone by when Sara heard a knock on her door Sara rushed down the stairs expecting Owen when she opened the door David Hemsworth was standing in front of her David this is a surprise Sara said still holding the door knob Your mother didn t tell you that I was coming David asked looking confused 55

Oh I guess she did I must of forgotten Sara said worried that Owen would walk up the stairs any minute Come in Sara said opening the door That was the longest day of Sara s life talking to David about his travels and worst of all talking about the wedding When the long day came to an end Sara was sitting on her bed when she heard pebbles hitting her window She opened the window to see Owen You are crazy If my parents see you you will be dead Especially if David sees you Sara whispered I had to see you I have an idea Owen said while climbing up the green vines on the red brick house What are you doing asked Sara she ran to her door to lock it then helped to pull Owen into her room How about you and I run away Get away from here from this wedding You told me you don t love him so let s start something new Owen said holding Sara s hand looking deeply into her green eyes It sounds perfect Sara said while tears filled her eyes They decided they would leave the next day Unfortunately David saw Owen climbing the side of the house when he was leaving The following night was so cold Sara packed a few things and slowly crawled down the vines on the wall and jumped into Owens arms You two really thought you can run away David s angry voice boomed as they turned around and to see him holding a gun 56

David you don t need to do this this is my fault I don t love you I am so sorry Sara cried She sees David s gun pointed at Owen and jumps in front of him A bullet hits her in the heart Sara fell to the ground Owen tried to help her but it was of no use the beautiful red head was dead Owen filled with anger lunges at David and is also shot in the heart Silence fell all around them Then something magical happened Cold white flakes started falling from the sky The flakes fell on David s black coat and eventually covered the pine trees capped the pointed mountains and froze the lakes of Forestville David left Forestville never to return again but the white flakes would follow him everywhere The flakes became known as snow Sara Nickelsby Owen Wilson SNOW This happened because of Sara and Owen s love for each other It was something magical just like snow The end 57

The Cabins The Origin Story of Advent Calendars By Ella Macnamara It is a foggy winter day in Pacific Heights and Maud and Malia Cabin had just gotten home from school and are now out for Christmas Break Their parents Mary and Michael Cabin are waiting for them Maud has been planning for weeks to go to Cabo with her friends Chase and Callie and is set to go tomorrow Her father sees her bags packed and ready to go and looks bewildered He had completely forgot that Maud was going away Mary announces that they are heading off to Tahoe as one big family Maud quickly chimes in and says except me Mary then says Oh and you too Maud looks confused and Mary explains that she is no longer going to Cabo Tears start running down Maud s face and then her expression quickly fills with anger Maud runs into her room and throws her Louis Vuitton shoe at her parents Maud is a very privileged 16 year old but this time was different In Cabo she was going to meet up with her crush Sebbe The Cabins explain to her that they need some family bonding time considering Mary has been away for a couple months Maud is still furious and pouts for the rest of the night Her mother comes in to her room and says And by the way we re leaving tomorrow so start packing Maud grunts and realizes she has to start packing The next morning Mary and Michael wake Maud and Malia up at 6 00 A M sharp Malia asks why they have to get up so early and Michael says We have to beat traffic and the two daughters roll their eyes at their dad The car ride took 6 7 hours because there was a big storm and lots of traffic just as Michael predicted The car windows were so cold and frosty that Maud and Malia could draw and write things on them Maud starts to place chocolates on her calendar to countdown the days until she gets to go home away from her family Once they finally get there Maud can t wait to bust open the door and fly straight into her room away from her family But her dad quickly stops her No breaks Now we re 58

going skiing Maud lets out a harsh grunt and mumbles I wish I was in Cabo Because of the winter storm the snow is so slushy and icy that they can hear their skiis crushing and sliding against the snow While Malia is cruising the slopes Maud keeps falling on her butt and continuously mumbles I wish I was in Cabo One of the times that Maud fell on her butt a handsome dashing young man named Kitt came up behind her and asked Do you need some help Maud looked up and was completely starstruck Kitt was the perfection distraction from Sebbe that she needed For the next 2 weeks Maud and Kitt did everything together much to the Cabins dismay considering this was supposed to be a family trip Kitt later breaks up with Maud telling her that he Never thought of her as anything more than a friend Maud was completely heartbroken Her family comforted her and she started to cheer up They start to actually bond as a family and Maud forgets about Kitt and Cabo Maud realizes that she doesn t need the countdown calendar because she doesn t want to leave For the rest of their life Maud and the Cabins use calendars and chocolate to countdown the days until good things like Christmas because in life you should focus on the good things rather than the bad things Michael House was a very wealthy and influential engineer so he pitched the idea of countdown calendars to his cooperation and they become the very popular They were what we know today as Advent Calendars 59

Buddy the Elf on the Shelf The Origin Story of Elf on the Shelf By Harry Mahoney As Ralph sat by the warm crackling fire he looked out the window at the powdery white snow thinking about what he really wanted for Christmas this year He really loved collecting shoes and he wanted the new adidas ultra boost because it was a new model he had been wanting for a while now Ralph thought had been a good boy this year so he thought he deserved it He thought of opening up the multi colored wrapping paper to see the white adidas logo standing out on the black shoe box He would open the cardboard box and gingerly remove the soft white tissue paper He would gasp at the sight of brand new ultra boosts He would try on the soft comfy prime knit material and then jump up and down landing on the precious soft compound of the soles If only Santa could hear what he wanted To make it easier he decided to send a letter to The North Pole It s going to be a great Christmas this year Snow is freshly sprinkled everywhere and there has been an all time low of kids on the naughty list Santa called out to Buddy as he was looking out to the white horizon Santa was wearing an ugly red sweater Mrs Claus had knitted for him with candy caned striped pajama pants I m just looking over the naughty and nice list and the letters we ve received It seems that an 11 year old boy is not on any list Buddy said cautiously Are you serious How could I have not known about this I don t even know who this kid is We have to do something Santa exclaimed What can we do about this Buddy questioned 60

I have an idea but I m not sure if it will work Santa said Well it s the only idea we ve got Buddy said with assurance Ralph ran to his room from the cozy sofa and grabbed a black pen and a crisp white piece of paper He was ready to write his letter to Santa He took off the pen cap and started writing The dark black ink sunk into the white paper making words After a half hour of carefully thought out writing Ralph thought he was done and should send it After walking through the chilling snow making imprints it was now just a matter of time to see if Santa would come through or not It was just a matter of time and patience Buddy listened closely as Santa explained his idea Because Santa was so busy with setting up Christmas for the whole world Buddy would need to make his way to Ralph s house by sleigh prop himself up on a shelf and spy on Ralph for the two weeks until Christmas to determine what list Ralph was to be put on Buddy was actually very fond of this idea and agreed to it without any sort of conflict Ok said Santa Gather up your things and head up to the sleigh where I ll meet you the reindeer will fly you to Ralph s house I ll be ready in no time at all said Buddy enthusiastically Buddy sprinted to his tiny quarters He grabbed and extra pair of clothes a miniature blanket and pillow and his toothbrush and toothpaste After all he wasn t even a foot tall I m all ready to go Buddy said to himself quietly He hobbled over to the sleigh where Santa and his reindeer were You ready Santa asked Buddy Very Buddy said with confidence 61

Here we go Santa yelled as he cracked the whip and the reindeer started running The sleigh was lifted off the ground and after ten minutes Buddy looked behind them to see the top of there lair fading away Stay calm he thought to himself Surprisingly after only three hours of flying Buddy was awoken from a nap As if it were a miracle he looked around to see Santa looking at him and saying We re here Buddy we re here Ok this is it Buddy said as he jumped out of the sleigh He looked up at the three story blue house He looked back to suddenly see santa and his reindeer starting to fly away He walked up the stair case and squeezed under the minuscule doorway He tip toed past Ralph s room where he was playing video games on his computer and found the best shelf to sit on One that looked out over over the kitchen living room and dining room He thought this was the perfect place to spy on Ralph for the two weeks Ralph got up from the desk and computer and decided to go outside He had left his boots by the fireplace so he walked into the kitchen turned the corner and there he was Mom Ralph yelled His mom ran into the room with worry on her face and gasped at the sight of the elf on the shelf Mom what is that Ralph asked She didn t know what it was and what it was doing there but she had a slight idea of why it was there and what is was Honey it s an elf she explained I think he may be here to spy on you for Santa she guessed The elf was there to do exactly that 62

I guess I better be good then to show him how much I want those other shoes Ralph said Ralph was glad this elf was here because it meant that Santa would recognized what he wanted for Christmas And so on Christmas Eve all was still in the house except for a rustle coming from the chimney Santa popped out and walked over to the plate on the mantle He popped a cookie into his mouth and started munching until he saw Buddy He walked over to him Buddy gave his feedback about Ralph and Santa put the box shaped present under the tree that said TO RALPH FROM SANTA Buddy knew exactly what that was and he wished he could have seen that big smile in Ralph s face the next morning 63

the perfect gift The Origin Story of the Gift Giving By Nicholas Meilbeck Once the was a boy named Todd who lived in England He didn t live in a very rich village but it suited him His favourite part of the village is the outskirts of land because there are mountains of the highest peaks and rivers of hope and dreams Todd loved where he lived and he would never move away from there Todd had a best friend and his name was Zane They would always climb the highest pecks and swim the rivers hopping they would rich to support there family from being poor But one day that all changed Todd woke up and it was snowing outside but he was confused because it never snowed in there village before He walked outside with the only cloths he has to keep him warm When he walked outside he saw someone the the snow with only a shirt and short pants with no shoes He thought about that he may be sick or dying at this moment form being so cold He came up to the guy and said to follow him The old man did and Todd brought the old man back to his house underneath the basement He lit the fireplace and toke off his cloths and gave it to the old guy He had the biggest smile when Todd gave it to him He said why are you doing this And Todd said It looked like you needed it more than I did then Todd said were are you from and what s your name The old man said that he is from the north and his name Nicholas He said he was going to see his family in the south but he lost track and started to starve until he found this village Todd found that kinda weird but he went along with it When the old man was just about to go Todd said to wait I ll be right back Todd walked into his room and found his only two nickels and one quarter form his saving of 64

one month He said to spend it on hot coco or a snack for the road The old guy was getting emotional because he has never seen anyone with this much love and generosity for others He gave the Todd a huge and left When the snow started to die down he walked outside but the old man was nowhere to be found He went to Zane s house and told him about the old guy and they went looking for him But on the way Zane just realised that Todd spent all of his money and Zane got really mad and was shouting and saying why did you give away your money It s not good to share and give out your only pieces of survival Todd was mad and said the old man needed it more than me so just leave I can do this on my own Todd runs away in disbelief and goes to the river When he looks down he sees the old man across the river leaning on a tree He runs over but then he walks around the tree but Todd walks around the tree and the old man isn t there But Todd is confused because behind the tree is miles of open land without trees just land At that point Todd was utterly confused and creeped out He went into the town hall to see if he can Maybe find a book about this He looks on the self of mythical creatures but he can t find anything so he walked outside and saw something shiny So he went in the river and picked up a coin and as soon as he picked it up he felt a jump of hope so he went back in the library and looked again He found this box but there was a key to it but it was shaped as a coin So Todd put the special coin that he found in the box and it opened Then there was a note It said if anybody finds this your are special and your not going to become famous but you have done something great Todd was confused so he toke the note and started walking back to his house But in the way he say the old man walking and he ran to him before he disappeared like last time He caught up to him and asked him if the old man new the 65

note He said yes then he said I made it Todd asked why but then the old man said you gave all you have and that was special to me because that shows you can change the world you just need to do it Todd said thanks and left Months went by and everybody was giving towards others Then Todd parents got a job and they have a better house then he had before Then everybody around the world started giving and that s the story of giving The End 66

The Socks The Origin Story of Stockings By Milan Murphy Amber stood outside the clothing store admiring the glorious red and green patterned socks that took her father days to make The socks shinned though the window into the powdery snow Amber wished more than anything to have just one pair of those glimmering socks but she knew her family could not afford them Amber walked into the store and suddenly felt of jolt of heat due to the fire burning in the old fireplace She walked passed her father and through the back door of the shop Instead of the door leading to the a supply room it lead to the place Amber called home Amber saw her brother Charlie with a shirt five sizes too big and pants two sizes too small for him Charlie didn t complain though he was mostly quiet and excited for the season of Christmas With Charlie still young at six years old he understood Christmas as a time of presents But sadly their family were too poor to buy presents that year Amber continued to the corner to greet Charlie and sit down in the only mattress in the small claustrophobic room Everyday at six o clock Amber and Charlie s father Ben came home Once he opened the door the children cheered They loved their father more than anything in the world but his face was not smiling Father Amber asked What s with the gloomy face It s the Christmas season Father replied We re broke Our store is not getting enough business and I don t have enough money to pay this month s rent Charlie started to cry Amber and Father tried to cheer Charlie up That night no one could sleep All of them just laid down and listened to the fire as it crackled in the fireplace Its orange and yellow flames provided heat for the family of three The next morning Amber and 67

Charlie woke up to the spicy smell of peppermint that lingered in their small household Amber was speechless her expression matched Charlie s jump of enthusiasm Father they shouted in unison How did you get these Their father did not reply he just sat there and started licking his own When the whole family tasted their minty surprise they were silent This is what Christmas should always fell like Amber thought to herself The days dragged on until it was three days until Christmas The town bustled with people buying last minute presents for their family Amber checked everyday to see if the socks were sold and everyday they were still there Her father was finally doing well in business and had enough money for the rent Finally it was Christmas Eve Amber did her daily check of the socks but to her dismay the socks were gone When she walked back into her house her father was in the corner with the socks in his hand stitching the word Amber on it Amber was so happy she also noticed her father and brother s name on a different and less shinny socks Once her father finished she noticed they were a little too big but she did not care Amber put them on with her old tattered boots and ran into the snow She played with Charlie and her father for hours in the snow It was nearly dark when they got back inside of the house To dry their socks they put them over the fire place With socks were shinned in the fire light Amber s feet were super wet because of the huge socks Then Amber had an idea Amber told her father and brother that if the socks don t fit and they do not have any decorations they could use it for a Christmas decoration And instead of having to waist money on wrapping paper the could put presents inside the socks Charlie thought socks was a weird way to describe these new decorations Father came up with the idea of calling them stockings That night the happy family went to bed extra early so they could 68

wake up early When they woke up the stockings were filled and there were more than ten presents stacked in the corner where their tree would be if they had one Amber Charlie and even their father were surprised Then Amber and Charlie remember in unison It was Santa Clause they cheered The family learned to be grateful for what they have and what they got All Christmas they admired their presents and their beautiful stockings Father declared that putting up the stocking would be a tradition that the May family would do every year and pass the tradition down to many generations After the May family started this tradition many other family s did too Putting up stockings have come to be a tradition that every household does for the Christmas season 69

Christmas Fear The Origin Story of Krampus By Seamus Ryan Our story takes place in 1889 within a modest little town known as Totenberg Germany surrounded by the mysterious and foreboding Black Forest An unimportant town at first glance yet many mysteries and dark secrets lie masked by it s facade and the gloomy woods surrounding the town The town is made up of mostly simple farmers and working men yet there is one immensely wealthy and ancient family that governs the town It is nearing the end of a horrible December in the midst of a particularly harsh winter There hasn t been much to be thankful for amidst this cruel epilogue to the year but with Christmas around the corner it s difficult not to have at least a shred Christmas cheer There is a young man around the age of 13 years old with brown hair the same shade as milk chocolate and eyes the color of dark shadowy mahogany He stands around 5 feet 10 inches tall with broad shoulders and strong arms and happens to be remarkably handsome He is walking down a lane in the town cramped with colorful shops and simple houses on either side He is the only one out this early in the morning and enjoys the solitude His tread is set upon fresh fallen snow that covers everything in sight like a thick woolen blanket so pure and sparkling white He meanders all throughout the town admiring the frosty alien landscape all around him marveling out how different the world looks from the simplest change He is about to head back for home when he hears something that catches his attention Off in the distance there is the echo of a shout The heavy sharp sound cuts through the crisp morning air interrupting the moment of peace that evokes a feeling almost like porcelain being shattered He pauses wondering what 70

the sound could have been when he hears it again that heavy sort of crack Now he is sure that it is a shout he sets off at as fast of a pace as he can achieve through the thick snow but the work is difficult like trying to push a plow through frozen frosty earth After an immense amount of effort the source of the sound is finally coming into view It is hard to make out with the sun reflecting into his eyes off of the shimmering earth but he can just make out a group of figures on the horizon After trudging along some more he is certain of what he sees a group of three or so figures standing around some amorphous silhouette on the blanket of fresh fallen snow He hears the largest of the three figures say to the silhouette on the ground Get up August I barely even hit you you loser At this instant the handsome boy has a horrible realization August he shouts As the handsome boy rushes in to assist his friend the tall figure hurls a snowball at him but misses The boy grabs August s arm and goes as fast as he can back along his previous path The bullies curse and hurl several snowballs after them but offer no chase When the boys retreat to a safe distance away from the bullies the boy named August says between breaths Thank you Klaus I don t know what might ve happened if you hadn t been there August is not particularly tall or handsome like the handsome boy Klaus but he has a good heart August has never been wealthy but makes up for that with his personality He has black hair and green eyes and happens to be best friends with Klaus Klaus responds What did Wilhelm the tall lanky figure and his goons want with you anyway Just looking for someone to pick on I guess says August But that s the third time this week they ve come after me I m nervous they might do something we ll all regret 71

Well let s hope they don t You know that if you ever need help again August I m always here for you Come on I ll walk you home Two days later Klaus is out for a walk again The snow from a few days before has been piled on the sides of the road forming massive heaps that look like piles of wet ash and feel even worse The air is still very cold as if it has been frozen and feels hard to walk through but now Klaus is able to walk twenty feet without having to take a breather Once again he is admiring the shops and their windows when he comes upon a street vendor selling curios and trinkets and other oddments among a sundry collection of things Klaus glances over what the man has to offer when something catches his eye A silvery pendant that feels cold in his hand except on the spot where a fantastic blood red gem is set into the pendant on this spot his hand is almost being burned by the heat of the gem How much for this asks Klaus not imagining he could afford anything so grand when the man s reply surprises him I ll tell you what Give me whatever you have on you and the pendant is yours Klaus is overjoyed at this and throws the contents of his pockets on the table a meager payment for such a fantastic item Klaus is so happy he doesn t think twice about the man s strange offer and hurries home A few days after purchasing the trinket it is Christmas morning Klaus and his father celebrate the occasion by staying inside for the day They spend the whole day inside their modest farmhouse that happens to resemble a hobbit hole staying warm by the great big hearth and taking joy in the extreme sharp heat emanating from it playing silly games and eating to their heart s content It is a very jolly end to a most miserable December The next day Klaus decides to visit August and brings a gift with him in the spirit of Christmas the gift is the 72

miraculous pendant When he arrives at August s home in the town a minuscule yet cozy house above the brightly colored garrish sweet shop he knocks on the door When August s mother answers the door Klaus respectfully asks May I please see August She responds shakily Oh dear you haven t heard It s already spread like wildfire throughout the town Wilhelm and his gang attacked August again Klaus begs her Is he all right How bad is his condition August s mother moves out of the doorway and Klaus is shocked by what he sees August is alive but his life will never be the same He is so badly hurt it looks like Wilhelm sicced a dog on poor August who knows Maybe he did The sight of August in his bed covered in bandages and anything else to stop the bleeding infuriates Klaus Klaus bursts out the door and down the street without another word All that Klaus is able to think about is Wilhelm with his cronies beating the life out of August Wilhelm with his icy blue eyes and bad temper Wilhelm who looks like a string bean but turns out to be a hornet Wilhelm son of the mayor and the richest clan in all of Totenberg the only clan Klaus spends hours combing the town searching for Wilhelm but to no avail Probably hiding out in his mansion Klaus angrily mutters As he storms back down the street he sees Wilhelm emerge from the sweet shop hands full of peppermints and candy canes but otherwise alone How could he possibly have the nerve To almost kill a boy and not have a second thought about it to buy CANDY underneath his sick bed Now Klaus is enraged He charges Wilhelm and tackles him to the ground in the dim light of evening He screams How could you do that Wilhelm s response only serves to further anger Klaus Do what Klaus turns red as the jewel in his pendant 73

How could you almost KILL August Why do you care anyway He s just some little freak Klaus says very cooly despite how livid he is It should be you in that infirmary bed I wish that there was someone to take care of people like you As Klaus says this he is so furious that he doesn t realize that he is gripping the pendant so tightly that it s shape is being pressuretattooed into his hand All of sudden there is a chilling wind Klaus is thrown back by an unseen force and lands in one if the great heaps of dirty snow When he manages to find his bearings he sees something that will change him forever Wilhelm is writhing in agony on the ground and something strange is happening to him The horrible shrieks that emanate from Wilhelm make Klaus almost feel bad for him if it had been anyone but Wilhelm It s as if his bones are growing rapidly all at once Then the hairs start popping up and soon enough Wilhelm is covered in a shaggy fur The last step of the transformation and it would seem the most excruciating as it brought about the most blood curdling screams from Wilhelm were the horns and the hooves Shooting out of is head are two formidable massive curlicue rams horns long enough to gore three men each and where his feet used to be two hooves the size of dinner plates that could stomp you to a pulp in mere seconds Then everything stops and the world seems to go silent The creature that has taken Wilhelm s place stands up and Klaus says very shakily Wha Who Who are you The beast responds in a horribly deep and gravelly voice like the sound of walking over broken glass Ich bin Krampus Bestrafer des belt ters I am Krampus punisher of the malefactor And with that he simply disappeared The few simple words that slipped from Klaus mouth brought one of the most terrifying creatures ever known onto this earth Wilhelm 74

is gone forever now there is only Krampus For centuries after this day Krampus appears at Christmas time to punish the children who have been naughty throughout the year and drag the especially bad ones back to hell with him After that day Klaus buried the pendant in a very deep hole somewhere in the Black Forest where it rests today patiently waiting for another to find it and change the world with their new found power 75

A Christmas Miracle The Origin Story Of Gingerbread Houses By Veer Sahai John was having a normal day he lives in Gingerbread World around Gingerbread Place He is around 5 inches tall and is a gingerbread man As he looks around he sees tall brown buildings made out of Gingerbread with bright colorful round gumdrops on the sides and different colored icings for decoration He was an average person who blended in with everyone else His life was monotonous He woke up walked pass the same buildings over and over again The buildings were colorful but after seeing them everyday you stop noticing them He would go into the same building sit at the same desk and then the same thing on the way out until he was home His house looked way better than anyone else s It was colored with icing all over With special gumdrops that were different colors Every time John saw his house he became happy and proud One day he got home and just stood in front of his house admiring it He went up grabbed the gingerbread door handle and pushed down on it Then there was a big flash and he appeared in a new world He looked in front of him His house was decimated it was in pieces on the floor The only thing left intact was the door handle still in his hand He looked around and saw giant things which looked like trees but he wasn t sure He looked down and realized he was standing on a white powdery substance that if he remembered was called snow Back in Gingerbread world it never snowed never They looked way different than the ones he had back home Then a man came he was a GIANT and he was human He was 6 7 compared to John who was only 5 inches The man looked at him strangely and cocked his head He bent down close to the ground to get a better look When he saw John he freaked out and stepped back John said Don t worry I won t hurt you He bent 76

down again and opened his palm John hopped on without hesitation This way they could both here each other well Hi I m Mark said the giant Mark was massive He was strong with a big bushy brown beard At the time he was layered up wearing a red and black flannel and a brown fur coat over top John assumed he was a lumberjack They spoke for a while and John explained how he got there Mark said that he saw a really bright light in the woods and went to check it out I ll take you to my house and then we can figure out how to get back home and off they went Mark s house was also massive It was like one of those log cabins toys you build but way bigger and way cooler It was more modern than any houses in Gingerbread world The entire front corner of it was glass with small stairs leading up to the house After a few days pass John remembers a story He couldn t completely remember it but it was about a man who got teleported to a new dimension and couldn t figure out his way home He went to civilization and bought some materials He decided he was going to make his house right on top of where he was teleported to He spent weeks building it but when it was done it looked great He went to sleep in it and when he woke up he was back in his home John told Mark and they decided it was his only option But there was one problem there was no gingerbread In fact in this world there was no such thing as ginger bread They would have to come up with a way to make it They experimented a lot like an unhealthy amount but when they finally got it it looked identical and tasted great Now they would have to build a house Mark said that it would not be hard and could have it ready in a few days When Mark got it it looked perfect John built up the inside and when it was done they walked it outside The ground was covered in a white blanket of snow It lasted as long as he could see just like before It was layered on everything but John was 77

so light he didn t sink into it They got to the spot and then John got in the house and waited but nothing happened They just assumed he would have to sleep in it So at night John went into the house and slept inside Morning came and Mark walked outside to the spot but the house was still there He bent down lightly tapped on the door with his finger John came out and said It didn t work They were both sad and decided they would have to wait until they came up with a new idea Christmas Eve came but it wasn t as happy as usual John and Mark sat together they had fun but it wasn t the best They both went to sleep Without another thought In the morning Mark got up but couldn t find John When he got to his counter he saw a note it was from Santa It said that Santa brought John to his house in Gingerbread world that he remade Next to the note was a mini gingerbread house Mark told everyone about it and the word spread He taught people how to make gingerbread houses and they told others and now everyone makes gingerbread houses in memory of the one and only John the Gingerbread Man 78

The Ginger Creation The Origin Story of Cookies By Natalie San It was the year of 1999 December 16th to be exact Nine more days until Christmas Cameron Dangel a mother of 2 was walking down to the family bakery with her twin sons She was the head baker of the bakery down in New Jersey Cameron was short intelligent kind and welcoming She had long brown hair with gold highlights Cameron was around the age of 28 and is a single mother The twins were named Grethan and Nasher They were identical twins but Grethan was slightly taller and quite crazy The twins were both around the age of 10 have brown hair and have pure hazel eyes The small family kept walking towards the bakery Once they reached it Cameron and the kids went to get the materials ready to make some cookies So much of the space had been taken up by the ovens and the mouth watering displays that the customers had to squeeze in and out Cameron and the boys were going to make their own sugar molasses cookies This was the boys first time baking so they didn t know what type of ingredients they needed They got all types of spices ginger nutmeg cloves and cinnamon As Cameron was making the base of the dough sifted flour sugar molasses eggs butter and milk Grethan thought it would be funny to sneak in some ginger Grethan you re not suppose to put in the ginger Nasher whined Grethan and Nasher kept arguing for the next twenty minutes Then Cameron spoke up Its okay sweetie Grethan and you can add the little mix ins in the dough if you want Grethan jumped and praised with glee 79

Alleluia said Grethan As so Grethan and Nasher started dumping and sprinkling all sorts of things For cinnamon to nutmeg to more ginger and cloves The dough was finally made It was a simple sienna brown with the sprinkles of spices throughout the dough Cameron rolled out the dough carefully and decided to use little cookies cutters She recently brought a man shaped cookie cutter She gingerly started to cut and shape the cookies and put them into the oven No one knew how the cookies were going to taste but the aroma filled the bakery The fragrance of spice and ginger was all around a gentle perfume united the savory and sweet The cookies were finally done pulled out of the oven to cool The twins and Cameron were looking at the cookies They were all questioning what they just made Each one had a slightly crisp texture on the outside almost like a brownie and the inside was soft yet more dense than bread or cake Cameron decided to frost these cookies to spark some creativity in the boys She made all sorts of royal icing red blue green yellow purple orange and most of all white She got two pounds of rainbow and chocolate sprinkles mini gumdrops and M M Grethan started to dunk his cookies into the chocolate sprinkles while Nasher was putting on the white royal icing Cameron decorated hers to perfection a border of white royal icing making eyes and a soft smile for the cookie She added mini gumdrops to end of the cookie They decorated for the next hour making three dozen man cookies They look like little people said Nasher Grethan yelled They DOOOO Maybe they taste good said Cameron Lets all try them thennnnnn Grethan whined The cookie tasted sweetly balanced the savory from the spices and the sweetness from the molasses It had the crispy outside and that 80

snap once bitten into The spices were perfect the ginger nutmeg cloves and cinnamon all had their own taste that blended well into the cookies THEY TASTE AMAZING they all said I should release this recipe so families can make it during the holiday season said Cameron But what should they be called she also said The twins quickly responded with joy GINGERBREAD MEN Cameron and the twins spent the next hour writing the recipe and snacking on the cookies The next couple of days Cameron was selling her gingerbread cookies in the bakery and released the recipe They were going crazy Families all over New Jersey were making them for the holidays The recipe kept growing spreading across states and then to other countries The gingerbread man cookies were officially one of the most famous cookies to make during the holiday season Families across the world were making these cookies and they were delicious Cameron Grethan and Nasher were known for making their delicious cookies that brought joy to the world during the Christmas season 81

A Pembrooke s Tale The Origin of Getting a Christmas Tree By Jenna Serrano December 10 1950 It is a brisk and snowy day in San Francisco The air is fresh and early commuters are hopping on one bronze and metallic cable car to another The wood s polish shining like a ray of light guiding the way A cable car is stopped on a busy and narrow street There are houses lining the street on both sides Each as crisp and pristine as the last in such a complete order you would think they were blown up doll houses But there is one house in particular that was different from the rest It is on the right or left depending on where you re looking from It was clearly owned by someone of wealth with its elegant and detailed window sill that arched around a think black framed window Even the small porch before the grand double door with it s two glass panes made the second floor single window it was under seem perfect Almost as perfect as the stair case with speckless white paint and gold metal railings on the inside of big wood banisters on either side This is the Pembrooke estate Everyone knows that The neighbors in their less superior and comparably shabbier housings know it Even the whole Upper Side where the Pembrookes lived was well known to all of San Fransisco since forever The house awes cable car passengers to this day What would I give to have a house like that Only a job like that of Mrs Pembrooke s would earn a house life and family that wonderful they would think It was an unspoken truth everyone knew Everyone that is except for the Pembrooke children The thing most distinguishing about the Pembrookes were Daisy and Forrest They were absolute gold a true treasure That was something else all of Upper Side knew Including why the Pembrookes were so special because of had what they had done oh so many years ago 1 82

It was a day like any other cold high 40 s low 50 s just how Daisy liked it Forrest as well although he seemed to like many of the same things Daisy did Daisy was the older of the two Pembrookes and had dark chocolate hair with grey eyes wiser than her age of 10 Those grey eyes everyone seemed to love matched her favorite grey bonnet she sported every winter A loud cry from downstairs broke Daisy s thought of snowball fights and Christmas She got out from her warm cotton and pink fresa duvet She made her bed quickly placing back all the matching pillows she had knocked over in her sleep She took a step back admiring her work The pillows were neatly place in two rows of two Her thin red and white striped rectangle pillow in the center of the rows matched the blanket that ran across the foot of her bed She flipped across the bed fixing the wrinkles quickly and opening the white curtains in one broad stroke with both hands She breathed in the cold air through the open window The air smelled new and festive Daisy could practically feel the Christmas spirit in the air the feeling she always got during her favorite time of year The air blew her long pale blue dress behind her while the sleeves stayed as they were too close to her skin to move much There was another cheer from downstairs This time clearly made by her younger brother Forrest She walked back around the bed passing her white dresser and it s black oval knobs The dresser matched the vanity a few feet to the right of the dresser and night stands on either side of the bed She walked out of her grey colored room and onto the landing The landing just outside Daisy s door lead to her parent s door on the left the bathroom she shares with Forrest on her right then Forrest s room across from hers Next to Forrest s room and across from Daisy s Mother and Father s room was the study She had never been in there but knew it was where they did work or something adult 2 83

like She went down the stairs located in the center of the landing creating a shape similar to an O The scent of French toast floated up in swirls to her nose It spread warmth over her body making Daisy shiver As she got to the landing and last flight of stairs she jumped over the rails and landed in front of a pair of big brown cloth slippers Her father was looking down at her through round black thinly rimmed glasses He was a tall man with hair almost identical to hers but a bit darker But he had big and round hazel eyes like Forrest s He gave her a stern look that silently told her that jumping down a whole flight of stairs wouldn t always end so gracefully at least that s what she thought the look said But in an instant the look was gone and Daisy was in the air upside down She giggled loudly and yelped in excitement she saw the room spin right side up and felt a kiss on her long dark braids that so closely resembled her fathers He had been doing this for years now and always made her feel young again Even if she was only ten she was a pretty big age it was the first year in double digits Her father placed her down and she ran through the high ceilinged entry way to the kitchen arched door Like the other doors in the whole house it was oak See now she s here and I can have more Forrest accusing said to his mother His hair was a dusty brown mess His eyes shone blue now and innocent his eye color was something Daisy always found intriguing Forrest was a small 6 year old maybe 4 foot 4 He wore dark green pajamas the same color as his name Alright fine but let your sister have some first Unlike some people she hasn t had 4 slices said the children s mother She had blond curly hair strong blue eyes and was tall only a few inches shorter than their dad 3 84

Mmmm Daisy said as she took a bite of fresh French Toast her mother had placed in from of her It was on a creme colored plate with yellow lines around the edges Yellow was Daisy s favorite because it was the same color as the flower she was named after Mmm Mmm Mmm Forrest agreed Their mother laughed and started cleaning up as the kids giggled and ate The kitchen was pretty Similar to her doll s in their Fantasy Mansion upstairs Except Daisy s kitchen had grey counters and metal sinks and appliances She wasn t quite sure though she was only in the kitchen to eat and wasn t old enough to bake alone without her mother and father s help After eating Daisy and Forrest cleaned up and started heading upstairs to get dressed when their mother called Don t forget to pack The kids stopped immediately and looked towards their mother Pack for what Forrest asked Our annual Tahoe vacation Forrest and Daisy glanced at each other for a moment then raced to the top of their stairs shared a laugh then went to their rooms to pack their trucks Every 10 December the Pembrookes would go to their Tahoe cabling and stay for at least a day before Christmas Eve It was a tradition celebrated that past Pembrookes have done centuries back And this year was sure to be the best What could go wrong December 11 1945 Forrest awoke slowly and groggily He turned in his bed and looked around the room with squinted eyes through the bright light He could smell the pungent odor of saw wood and pine 4 85

needles He knew immediately that these could mean one thing He sat up straight stumbled out of his twin bed and raced to Daisy s identical bed on his left Daisy Daisy DAISY PEMBROOKE Forrest shook his sister and whacked her with a pillow until she grudgingly and angrily sat up Forrest I would greatly appreciate not being whacked in the face during a deep slumber Forrest rolled his eyes as Daisy grabbed her extra pillow from his hand and started fluffing it so annoying But we re in Tahoe At the cabin remember Which means we have to play You know in the snow She looked up immediately and threw the pillow mischievously at him and jumped up from under her covers He fell back tripping over his pant leg She giggled and opened the door She was already wearing a yellow jacket with her favorite gray bonnet black gloves and some black pants with black waterproof boots they had both received from their Gran last Christmas Of course we have to play Now hurry up your taking forever Sir Slime She giggled and ran through the door closing it behind her and shutting out the cold hair and light snow that had begun to gather Forrest threw the pillow back on her white sheets and red and black plaid bedding He was annoyed when she did that but hurried anyways afraid it would stop snowing outside if he want fast enough He stuffed his feet in his matching black boots with his pajama bottoms still on threw on an extra forrest green sweater and a black blazer and equally spiffy black newsboy hat and ran outside As soon as he closed the door a blunt object was thrown to his shoulder He slowly turned making it as dramatic and intense as possible Facing him was Daisy grinning a sneaky smile only associated with snow and cold Before he could process 5 86

anything he dove to his knees and skillfully made 3 threw snowballs and threw the first lightning fast to that smile He hit his aim and with it a yelp from Daisy Oh Little Brother you will pay for that HAHAHA Daisy ran behind a bush and began making her stash Forrest made a mini wall and threw his ammunition Another yelp from his older sister explained it all Forrest let an evil laugh he practiced with his friends at school escape his mouth But this only fed Daisy s determination to fight back It went like that for what felt like hours Snowballs thrown back and forth with witty banter and successful hits in between each blow But Forrest felt it was time for a change A chance to be on top and blow his sister s snowball game off the radar He made his left hand into a fist and held it with his right Making a makeshift hand hammer He pounded the left corner of his fortress and broke off a chunk of pressed snow still in tact front he impact He grinned to himself wickedly He waited for the next two snowballs to rid himself of a snowball then ran out from this half made fortress He saw a snowball in the air and let it hit him in the leg Ahhh He cried in fake dramatic pain as if caught off guard Then took his chance and ran like a jaguar silently and swiftly towards his sister s bush With all the strength in his body he twirled in a circle and let go at the last moment and released the snow bomb to his opponent He watched in awe as his master piece was caught in midair then fell down down down down and hit it s target GAHHHHHH That didn t sound good Daisy stood up slowly and terrifyingly She turned to face Forrest The snow was easily spotted through her long hard hair it made it look black There was snow everywhere Her eyebrow eyelashes hair a thin layer on her coat even on the curves of her boots Forrest burst out laughing and cried I WIN And turned to run 6 87

through the pines Daisy followed laughing even though he knew she must be at least a bit chilly but he didn t feel it He had just won their yearly snowball fight for the 3 year in a row Forrest knew he was a natural If someone can beat a seven year old at age 3 in a snowball fight they must be really good and Forrest was But no matter how much he loved snowball fights nothing beat running through the pines Forrest knew Daisy felt the same They had done this the first year Forrest was able to run and play with Daisy on their own They spent hours more in the dark green minty fresh and spicy pines It was dark when they came home and if it weren t with their parents knowledge of the kid s careless behavior Daisy and Forrest wouldn t have had any breakfast or lunch Even if it was two cold bagels and slightly warmed chicken noodle soup it was something That night the Pembrookes enjoyed Chicken Pot Pie and chocolate pudding They all sat by the wood heater in the cabin The cabin was a giant with three rooms The main room was for a kitchen in one corner with a table and chairs for meals or playing cards On the other half of the room was Daisy and Forrest s twin bed s with detailed black iron headboards and one middle table The other rooms were for their parents and the bathroom but the kids didn t mind In Tahoe there was no school or cable cars passing by Sure it had taken a while to get used to the silence but the vacation made them come close together and bonded Until December 13 December 13 1950 The morning was just like the last More calm because of all the playing she and Forrest had done another crazy day in the Pembrooke Tahoe Estate But the 13 was different She stared at the bolted cieling when a cough broke her train of thought She sat upright immediately and 7 88

turned towards Forrest Her mother had a worried look on her face he blonde hair was pulled into a bun at the crown of her head She was wearing a white snow coat navy long sleeved and blue jeans Sitting the his bed was Forrest pink in the cheeks and nose with a white long sleeved shirt and nestled in his converse with two extra blankets She recognized one that looked like it was from her bed and realized with a start that it was Forrest Daisy asked uneasily He turned his head slightly turned her and his eyes lit up in excitement only to dim slightly when his mother put her hand on his shoulder Just a bug from the cold is all Nothing to worry about Come on get dressed we re going to take a walk well you and your father are I m staying with dear Forrest She had creases in her head as if she was trying not to worry Daisy It wasn t working No I ll stay you go I stay with Forrest or don t go at all We can play cards I should have watched him more closely He ll be well looked after I promise Mother gazed back down to Forrest who looked pleadingly back Alright but not and eye off him Understand young lady Yes Mother Daisy replied December 15 1945 Forrest was still sick He didn t mind it though He was getting over it But it would have been faster if Daisy wasn t so persistent She was sure that it was her fault he was sick That she could have been a better sister That she was supposed to make sure he was all right But she was most insisting that Forrest still celebrates Christmas As if he could never not do that But he knew she was most upset about the pines She knew he most enjoyed running through the pines 8 89

and feeling lost but not really lost The feeling of being free That was until today The had gone abruptly and had momentarily thought to bring Forrest along but thought it was irresponsible as an older sister So she left What could she be doing Forrest thought It felt like much later later enough to be dark when Daisy returned She burst through the door and sat obnoxiously on the side of his bed Guess who just fixed your Christmas I don t know Maybe Santa with all his presents he s giving me Did you get Santa Daisy had a blank face No But I got you something possibly even better She opened the door and their father and mother came in smiles plastered on their faces They were obviously proud of something The something Forrest couldn t take his eyes off of Is that a pine Right in this very cabin Yes indeed Dear Brother it is Daisy answered brightly She too was proud to put such a stunned expression on Forrest s face Can it stay in here With me Yes it can Said Father He was beaming Probably because it was he who cut down the tree Forrest s expression fell suddenly But you don t have one any of you Oh don t worry about us dear brother It s you we care about And about fixing your Christmas Forrest was silent everyone looked at each other with such warm and loving expressions There was pure well pure ness in that room that led Forrest to his next plan 9 90

December 17 1945 And that s why I need you to cut down two trees That s an excellent idea Forrest the ladies will love it Forrest was proud He wanted to thank everyone for making him recover so quickly and letting him experience some Christmas that is until he got well faster So he got Father to cut down two trees But he needed one more for Father And he knew just how Actually Father Daisy won t like it She s too picky may I suggest that one That s pretty big Forrest are you sure Positive it s perfect Whatever you say LATER And that s why I need you to help me carry this tree Forrest had just finished explaining to Daisy and Mother that the third tree was for Father he tricked him into cutting down Of course we re happy to help Daisy exclaimed LATER THAT NIGHT I have a surprise One that none of you saw coming but will equally love Now close your eyes get in a line and follow me So they did and they ended up in front of pine trees Are these for us Oh Forrest I love it Daisy ran towards her little brother and gave him a bear hug only a truly proud sister could give His parents were gazing down at him with love This was possibly one of the best Christmases he had ever had Here said Forrest Everyone get something and put it on the tree so we know who s is who And they did Mother chose a pin on her coat shaped like a robin The robin was a deep 10 91

Christmassy red with rich black eyes and some black feathers as well He supposed it was one their Nan gave her he knew it was her favorite She looked smartly at it as if to make sure it was a perfect fit When it did she let his father pull her close He was holding a candle with it s holder The holder was gold and had one big whole on one side to put your finger through It had little gold leaves decorating the rim sprinkled every know and then with wax The candle itself was big and round It looked about as old as his dad but shone with brightness like any other new candle would Forrest felt like it was shining with love His father placed the family ring on one branch But Forrest secretly hoped that it wouldn t be left there when they went back to San Francisco for Christmas Daisy chose some mistletoe and placed it towards the top of her tree When it was his turn Forrest chose an olive tree branch He knew that is symbolized peace and peace was exactly right here with his family December 20 1945 It was time to go back home Daisy wished it wasn t but Mother and Father were stealing sneaky glances at on another then back at the kids What was that about When it was time to take the train then cable car back Mother and Father paused Your father and I have a surprise If you leave 3 trees here we can take one back home Daisy was shocked They could bring a piece of Christmas back home No one had ever had a pine in their home during Christmas But Daisy didn t care it was a new family tradition So when on tree was decided on they got all the decorations put it on Daisy s tree and went home with it in tow People would remember the random tree that had found it s way from outside San Fransisco and in the Pembrooke s upstairs window over their front door But everyone knew that 11 92

they had to have one too So every year people went out got a tree and decorated it with objects It was celebrated for hundred of years later spreading throughout the world But San Fransisco was always the home of Christmas trees A lighting of the famous 35 foot tree was greatly anticipated every year The tree would be lit by the founders of the tradition Daisy and Forrest Pembrooke 12 93

The Christmas Miracle of Merilla The Origin Story of Hot Chocolate By Clara Slacik Lady Willow stopped for a quick respite from her long walk as she turned the corner to enter the village square Her silver hair blew in the soft Christmas Eve wind as she saw a huge crowd containing every single villager of Merilla a small snowy village The village square was polluted with threatening signs The villagers and their signs said things like Someone is to blame for this sickness Barber Jim had a cough first he is to blame Barbara the butcher started this sickness in her meat My sister Renae is the catalyst of this disaster For the past few weeks an illness has spreading rapidly Merilla has never seen such an epidemic like this before The villagers have only faced minor things like common colds No one realized it except Lady Willow but there was only one thing that was worse and even more contagious than this Winter sickness the illness of anger Everyone is wondering who s to blame for this rare sickness and are blaming anyone and everyone Fights on the street are common There seems to be no cure for the anger of the villagers but Lady Willow who would do anything to bring back Merilla s Christmas Spirit has an idea She carries a heavy sack on her back which she has brought from her ragged home a mile outside of the village She pushes her way towards the center of the crowded square where a large old statue stands No one notices her because everyone is so overwhelmed with anger and are arguing with others Lady Willow looks around to confirm what she already knows which is that Christmas Spirit is no where to be found A few short years ago the village of Merilla was a unified cheerful place and was known to be the Christmas capital of the world Travelers came from near and far 94

to experience the amazing Christmas Spirit of Merilla This year travelers came again but quickly left as they saw that Merilla seemed rather like the least Christmasy place in the world Unlike any other year all the annual Christmas lights and Christmas trees were not to be seen and curtains guarded the windows of every house As Lady Willow reaches the statue in the center of the square she can feel the tense and aggravated mood of the crowd and knows that everyone is eager for a fight The heated chatter in the crowd suddenly rises Not even a split second later punches are thrown and signs are turned into weapons Everyone is yelling and screaming at each except for Lady Willow who has climbed on top of the base of the old statue and pleads Stop Punches freeze in mid air and silence spreads so quickly the only thing that can be heard is the gentle winter wind A child whispers to her father Is that really her The villagers recognize Lady Willow They ve heard stories of her traveling the world and gaining wisdom yet still living humbly just outside of Merilla The villagers see her every once in a while when she comes into town and usually ask her advice Where is your sense This is Christmas not war Lady Willow says To respond a woman among the crowd says With all your wisdom Lady Willow you must understand We are sick Our children are sick Our animals are sick This is why we are fighting She shows her weeping baby who is obviously ill No Lady Willow says This is no winter influenza This is the sickness of anger You have let it strip you of your happiness and Christmas cheer There are other ways to fix your problems than fighting Here hand me your baby 95

Lady Willow reaches out her arms as the woman slowly hands over her baby curious to see what will happen Lady Willow takes her heavy sack o her back and reveals a large metal carton the size of a medium crate She then grabs a spoon from her sack opens the carton and gets a spoonful of a warm chestnut colored liquid Lady Willow slips the rich liquid into the baby s mouth Everyone waits a few seconds as the baby swallows Suddenly the baby starts laughing a playful and cheerful laugh The baby no longer looks ill but rather as happy as can be Many things are quite contagious anger sadness and especially happiness Lady Willow says as she hands the baby back to its mother who had grown a healthy smile within the last minute Come Lady Willow said On this very Christmas Eve grab some of my Christmas potion It contains the true spirit of Christmas itself I like to call this potion hot chocolate The crowd cheered and jittered They dropped their signs of hatred and picked up glasses of hot chocolate Merry songs were sung and happiness was spread The Christmas Cheer of Merilla had returned thanks to Lady Willow and her magical hot chocolate Through time hot chocolate has grown to be a common treat that incites happiness in anyone who drinks it During the Christmas season hot chocolate is drunk to bring everyone together no matter how upset or angry people are Despite its popularity so little people know the true story about the hot chocolate 96

The Great Eight The Origin Story of Santa s Reindeer By Sydney Srivastava I m sure you all have heard of Santa s Reindeer The strong bold reindeer that stepped up for a challenge to fly high in the sky But how were the infamous Dasher Dancer Prancer Vixen Comet Cupid Donner and Blitzen chosen I m going to take you back to the beginning of mankind in a small village in The North Pole There is a big green sign dusted with snow that reads Welcome to Chillville The little village full of hustling and bustling reindeer All types of reindeer too There are different shades of fur and antlers of many different sizes There are houses that fill the town and tangy red and white stripped candy canes that line every path The air is brisk with a kick of sweetness Dasher I woke up this morning with a headache You know headaches suck When I got to school over the PA system they called me to the principals office I didn t know why I mean I didn t do anything wrong When I got to Principal Fawn s office she had a sad look on her face and I wasn t the only reindeer in there Comet was there too I had this stern talking to about bullying Comet said that he was hurt when I pushed over his desk in class Now I m suspended for 2 days Ugh I know what I m going to do for the next two days plan my revenge on that snitch Comet Comet Everyone always tells me not to get beef with Dasher They keep saying He s large and in charge don t mess with that but it s hard not to mess with him if he keeps ruining my life In class yesterday he just walked over to my desk and pushed it over All of my hard work gone to 97

the wind Then in science class we were mixing chemicals and he threw a ball of my beaker and it spilled Do you know how dangerous it is it could burn my fur off Well now that he is suspended I hope he doesn t do it again Prancer I was at lunch with Vixen and Donor and they told me that Dasher got suspended I was just eating my carrots then Boom huge news Finally he will be off our backs Who snitched on him I want him to sit with us today I asked Vixen and Donor They pointed at Comet Wow really the nerd But I was open to him he seems like a fun little dude He came over to sit with us and he was really funny I mean almost as funny as I am I hope to see him around more if he doesn t run deer away from us haha Blitzen After school Cupid Dancer and I went to the soccer field and passed the ball for a bit Cupid and Dancer are my best friends Cupid and I met when we did girl scouts together a couple years ago and we had the best time Dancer is one of our classmates and we hang out with him a lot too We got into a gossip session and that s when Prancer Vixen and Donor came They chimed in and told us about how Dasher got expelled and now everybody loves Comet We all were amazed to hear this news We all decided to meet up with Comet and we could all prance home together While we all walked home we stumbled across this weird looking short person No one knew what this thing was We have only seen animals and this was not an animal It stood up on two legs and Prancer started to imitate it it was pretty funny But it was short too and had weird pointed ears that looked like they could impale someone 98

All of the sudden Comet softly said I think I ve heard of that It s called an elf at least I think it is I read it in a book once Everybody looked at him with a blank face But then Vixen asked that elf Hey what are you I mean are you an elf It looked back at us and nodded It stapled a piece of paper to a tree and then quickly walked away as if he was on a mission Comet All of us huddles close and read this piece of paper everyone looked at me to read it because they knew I was a fast reader I read the bold letters aloud Try outs to be Santa s Reindeer Pull his sled all over the world this 25th Every just stood there with a flustered look Santa Who was that No one knew But as we kept reading it said that we would need good and precise flying skills I think this is something I can do I can calculate quickly which would make me a strong candidate Everyone became excited and wanted to begin practice for this immediately because it said we only have 2 days until tryouts Everyone quickly dispersed and began It felt really nice to be included somewhere All my life I have only been seen as a lonely nerd but now I think I actually have a friend group Dasher I went out in front of my house to get some fresh air I was really bummed out about being suspended I thought in my mind if I should go see Comet and give him what he deserves but instead I wrote him a letter of apology I don t know what came over me but it felt like magic All my life I had always chose the mean way but this time I m making a change I hope he gets it before he hates me too much When I was walking out I saw a baby blue sheet of paper connected to a tree At first I thought it was litter but as I got closer I saw it Try outs For a big 99

job I m going to be famous I knew right then that I would get chosen I mean why not choose me I am the best for this role I dashed right to my yard and began fly practice Donor It was the day of the try outs Blitzen Cupid Comet Dancer Vixen Prancer and even Dasher even thought we weren t very fond of him we decided to welcome him all decided to practice out fly skills and fly to Santa s Workshop We all still wondered who what Santa was While we were flying we all noticed that we made a good team together We all flew nicely in unison and made sure no reindeer was left behind It was so much fun The entire time Prancer was cracking jokes Comet was dropping his knowledge Dasher was still kind of arrogant about everything Cupid and Blitzen were practicing their new handshake Vixen was making sure we were going the right way and Dancer was of course practicing his beautiful twirls We all had a blast Then we arrived it was this small village kind of like ours There were a bunch of those elf things walking around holding different tools and toys in there hands There were many tiny houses and workshops and on huge house It looked like a huge house for a giant There were blasts of color everywhere and you could faintly hear beautiful jolly music Vixen An elf came up to our group and told us to meet in the one huge house We all went in the there were hoards of reindeer Just imagine a room of hundreds of reindeer but all of them were slightly different In the front of this room was a long table It had about 9 seats There were 8 small seats and one big seat right in the middle All of the sudden it got very quiet Thump thump thump There was this giant that walked in shivers went down my spine I m a pretty strong guy and this terrified me to pieces I have never seen anything like this before and I m 100

sure no one else has either He looked old and he had white hair and a big white beard His skin looked like a wrinkly raisin He was dressed in a red velvet like shirt and pants with a nice black belt On his head he had a white a red fluffy hat He sat down and said Ho Ho Ho Hello I am Santa Clause You all are here to try out to fly my sleigh all over the world the 25th of December I will be delivering gifts to every boy in girl in the world Everyone became very confused Boy and Girl Hmm Well that s one more reason to try out so I can find out what that is Then one by one he called a name and the reindeer flew and did their trick When any of my friends went on I cheered as loud as I could The elves at the table judged everyone very harshly They were vigorously writing things don t on a clipboard in front of them Then everyone went Santa and the elves left the room Dancer I was standing with Comet when Santa came back in the room He stood in the very center of the room with great power and said You all did great but we have selected out top 8 reindeers If you hear your name please come stand with me We all filled with anxiousness as he read off the names Comet Cupid Donor Blitzen Prancer Dancer Vixen And finally Dasher We all grew huge smiles of joy Each one of us jumping around as if our composer ran out of the room We couldn t believe it We all held hooves and took a huge bow Then we immediately rushed off into training Comet The first thing we were instructed to do was fly home and pack up enough stuff to last us a month because we were moving to Santa s workshop Apparently this is a full time thing When I arrived at my house I saw a peculiar letter on my doorstep To Cupid From Dasher it 101

read on the front I opened it up with caution but to my surprise it was an apology for his belligerent behavior I really felt touched by this because now even Dasher was my friend All 8 of us became a close knit family for years Everyday we trained for the 25th Christmas Day when we flew around the world We all loved each other and put our hatred in the past All of us had something special to offer to the team which was great We are still flying together to this day and we never plan on stopping 102

Christmas on Fire The Origin story of Christmas Lights By Bailey Stern Tree decorating Sign up to decorate the tree The man at the booth watched as the civilians of Wovell trampled each other to reach him Woman were pulling each others hair men were clawing at each other s eyes They were like cats fighting over a freshly killed mouse They kept pushing and clawing The whole world stopped around them as they heaved their way through the vicious crowd I got it Yelled a little boy Everyone stopped and stared at him Their worst fears had come true He had signed the paper His family was going to decorate the tree Everyone groaned put themselves together and kept walking with grim faces The boy however stayed behind His father came and swept him up and twirled him around I m so proud of you We will go tell your Mother and start to decorate right away We are going to have the biggest and best tree reveal that this town has ever seen It was the truly the best It topped every single annual tree decoration reveal in all of Wovell s history And it still is the best even after fifty years Nothing has topped it The same tree every year has started to get boring The people of Wovell are loosing spirit for their favorite part of Christmas Especially a girl named Elna It is currently 1603 in the little town of Wovell Elna sits in class her short brown hair getting in her face as she writes notes Her best friend Flint zones out and fiddles with his fingers Why are symbols significant in stories Asked Ms Eelin She looked over the group of students Elna She said She instantly looked up A symbol is something that represents something else It is usually a material object used to represent something invisible It helps us understand characters and the plot Just as Ms Eelin was about to say 103

something the bell rang The students packed up their belongings and headed out Flint and Elna walked through their small town Street lamps frosted with ice on every corner sat still The soft snow in the ground was as white as summer clouds and the scent of pine needles from the Christmas decorations tickled their noses The houses and shops were all one story cottages that were cozy Elna and Flint started to walk to the tree in the middle of their town that was decorated by one family every year It was what brought people together on Christmas were everyone felt warm and exchanged gifts Not tangible gifts personality gifts Elna usual shares stories she writes Flint usually shows off a contraption that he makes As they make their way to the tree they see men surrounding it with chainsaws Elna ran up to it as fast as she could Flint trailing her What s going on here Asked Elna No one signed up to decorate kid People are bored of it It s had a long run The man started his chainsaw We ll decorate it Yelled Flint Elna stepped back with him Are you kids sure It s a large task and I doubt anyone would want to go More and more people haven t been showing up every year The man was right A lot of people stayed home and didn t bother to celebrate at all How much time do we have Asked Flint Two days Elna and Flint looked at each other talking with their eyes Flint and Elna looked up at the man who was clearly skeptical Done Flint and Elna ran back to school and made the way up to their classroom On the stairs Elna started to talk How on earth are we going to make this work Not only make it work said Flint but make it different We need to make it the best tree reveal this town has ever seen to keep the tradition alive To keep Christmas alive Has anyone ever told you that you are over dramatic They both forced a laugh and continued into their classroom Ms Eelin was sitting in her chair correcting papers She looked up and smiled Ms Eelin we have a problem Said Elna We agreed to decorate the tree We don t know how to 104

make it special If not they re going to take down the tree and end the tradition forever Ms Eelin sat back in her seat twisting a pencil in between her fingers What is a symbol She asked Flint and Elna looked confused burst Elna answered her response from earlier that day anyways A symbol is something that represents something else It is usually a material object used to represent something invisible Exactly said Ms Eelin could that invisible thing be an feeling Yes Answered Flint What do you feel on Christmas Elna started to think Suddenly her eyes widened she grabbed Flint and started towards the door Thank you They ran all the way back to the middle to town where the tree was Warmth That s want we feel during Christmas Warmth So what is a symbol for warmth Said Elna I don t know Maybe Fire of course I don t think that s a very good idea We re doing it Elna and Flint and Elna started working very hard hanging up all of the ornaments There were so many only bits of green shown through from the tree The next thing they did was put a string wrapping around the tree that they would set on fire We should test it said Elna I still don t think that this is a good idea Elna She didn t listen to him as she picked up a match and set the string on fire It went very smoothly the first two seconds but then things started getting out of control They fire was spreading to the rest of the tree Workers looked over and started screaming Fire Fire The men and woman in the area started filling anything that they could find with water and throwing it on the fire that was like a growing beast consuming and swallowing anything and 105

everything in its path Ornaments kept falling and breaking As the last and final bucket of water hit the tree and extinguished the fire everyone stood around it shocked Flint looked at Elna and walked away The tree was fine for the most part Not being able to get her emotions straight she ran and ran until her legs were numb and her stomach hurt She sat down on a step to a house She started twirling her thumbs She kept going until she saw something shiny on the ground It was a piece of an ornament It must have stuck to her shoe She rubbed off the ashes and looked at its reflection The sun had just set She kept staring into it until she noticed a little light in the reflection Lights Lights symbolize warmth She got up straighter her dress sand started walking fast back to the tree The blinding streetlights lit up her way with a blanket of stars covering her On her way back She ran into Flint Listen Flint I m really sorry I truly am I have an idea It s okay he said the tree isn t even damaged Just a bit fried What s your idea She explained to him everything that happened as they went for to door asking for lightbulbs and telling them that they can t miss the tree reveal this year They had many different shapes and sizes They went back to Flints workshop while the sun was rising They made a string of lights ran to the tree spread out the remaining ornaments and put the unlit lights on the tree They spent the rest of the day preparing their gift and finding anything to hang on the tree At last when the sun went down everyone was crowding the tree One Two Three On Elna s go Flint lit up the tree The sensation was like a breath of fresh air Everyone made little comments in awe of the lit up tree Everyone presented their gifts and everyone felt warm that Christmas Eve Ms Eelin declared the Christmas tree lighting ceremony from that day forward and it has been a worldwide tradition since 106

The Day the Trees Came The origin story of Christmas Trees By Cal Stewart The harsh wind blew against the trees It was winter and everyone was happy The year was 1901 human and trees lived separately The trees were happy but the humans weren t Humans didn t know what happiness was Happiness was only obtainable threw trees Without trees around you there would be no source of happiness Humans nor trees did not know this but neither cared to ask until one day Gunner sat up harshly and looked around He was alone Gunner is an evergreen tree the type of trees that give off the most happiness than any other tree Gunner stood up and looked around There was powdery white snow that was coated with little green needles He turned around and to his disappointment he saw Hunter Hunter was a pessimist and a bully He was always negative and would pick on others The reason for this was because Hunter was the worst kind of tree In a matter of fact he wasn t even a tree He was the remainders of a tree that was in a forest fire Everyone hated burnt trees and burnt trees hated everyone Hunter slowly walks towards Gunner you can hear the snow squish beneath his feet Hunter hovers over Gunner and stares at him so deeply you would think he was trying to look into his soul Gunner springs himself up He is taller than Hunter by about 5 feet Hunter laughs Just because you re taller than me you think your better than me Hunter says with anger in his voice No I was just standing up Gunner says confused Hunter was very arrogant and no one likes him because of that Gunner quickly backed away because he saw Hunter clenching a fist In the blink of an eye hunter swings He hits Gunner in the face he can feel the hard blow sending 107

shockwaves thew his wood He screams in pain Gunner sprints away in fear He is dashing through trees and he would have kept running until he noticed all the trees were gone All the trees were replaced with some funny looking structures They had pyramid shaped tops and were built out of some reddish brown material He continues to stare until he sees something odd From inside the building a creature emerges A wooden object swings open as a creature walks out of the opening then turns around and shuts the moving piece of wood The creature is covered in some cloths that look as soft as new fallen snow and only the face of the creature is visible Gunner studies the face The face scares him It has no emotion no feeling Even though the creature is unfamiliar he can still sense something terrible in him It felt the opposite of joy or happiness Just as Gunner begins to walk away he hears a terrible noise and smell It s coming from a box of metal with a rubber bottom It s turning the air black it makes Gunner choke when he inhales The metal box starts to move It moves faster and faster until it is gone Gunner gets curios He wants to know what is inside the oddly shaped building He starts to fumble in the area where the human emerged from and after a while there is a whole in the building He steps inside and looks around The walls are grey and the room is filled with leather objects He walks around until he hears the horrible noise again Gunner freezes The creature steps back inside the building It s face is still emotionless The creature looks up and sees the tree His eyes enlarge and his bleak face turns into a smile The creature stares in awe at the tree Gunner opens his mouth but no words leave Gunner closes his mouth He decides he likes it here Later that day the creature decorates Gunner The creature coats him in lights that look like tiny stars and puts a star on him that sparkles so bright you would mistake it for the sun Gunner is happy The Human is happy Suddenly Gunner frowns He thinks about his family and friends Gunner 108

wishes they could enjoy this with him His face brightens and he has an idea He will go back to the trees and bring them with him so that they can all be decorated Once the human isn t looking he runs away He keeps on running until he is deep in a thick forest Woah look at Gunner someone exclaimed He looks like a king said a voice in the crowd I want to be like that too said another tree Gunner tells them that they can be as beautiful as him too and all they have to do is follow him The trees don t think twice as they begin to run with Gunner hearing their feet squishing the sugary snow Right as they are about to leave Hunter approaches Gunner Where have you been Hunter says with rage is in his voice I have found the perfect place for all of us Gunner responds Hunters eyes soften What place He says slowly Gunner goes to tell him that he found a wonderful place where we are treated like kings and in return all we have to do is give the weird creatures happiness Hunter likes the idea and reaches out a hand to Gunner Gunner accepts and they both look at each other as if they were studying one another They let go All the trees at once start to run towards the village their stumps sounding like claps of thunder and once they arrived all the creatures wanted a tree for themselves It brought the creatures something they have never felt before joy From that day on Humans have put trees in their house every year to keep them filled with emotion Humans need a refill of emotion every year in the month of December Without the trees there would be no happiness That is the story of why humans keep trees in their house for Christmas 109

Christmas Life on the Go The Origin Story of Elves By Victoria Wade It was just another cold night at the the London office it was around winter time Snow gently fell outside the window Just 3 days till Christmas Freddy had to sleep underneath his desk again He had no where else to go The cold spreading quickly up and down his body He had no money no food no home all he had was his job and his friends Reality hit him like a slap in the face and he was suddenly wide awake The cold was making his mind crazy all these negative thoughts running through his mind and to think this is where he would be spending Christmas Freddy had this habit of always looking for the positive way of life but at this moment and time he had to think really hard to see another way to look at this and see a positive side At least he wasn t alone His friends Samantha Sam and Anthony also weren t in the best of places They both were running out of money fast both wearing dirty clothes from the day before and the day before that Creek Someone was here Whoever the person was he she was coming into this room As the door opened Freddy shouted Who s there It was Sam Geez Sam you almost gave me a heart attack Sam was a beautiful woman She had golden blonde wavy hair that came down to her mid waste She was around Freddy s age 34 years old they ve known each other since they were in kindergarten As Sam came inside she did not look like herself Her shoulders were slouched and her nose was sniffling As she came in to the light you could see a glossy shimmer of tears around her eyes Sam what s wrong Are you okay Are you hurt Sam simply looked at Freddy and then looked at the ceiling like she was trying not to show her face to him Look at me By this time Freddy was standing and walking towards Sam with open arms She quickly rushed toward him she was cold and wet from the snow yet she made Freddy feel warm 110

My landlord kicked sniffle me out This was not the first time Sam told Freddy about her landlord Her landlord was a piece of work He did nothing about the bad condition of the apartment and Sam had to put so much effort just to keep the place livable Are you babies done crying Anthony sat at one of the office desks clearly drunk Sam was shocked and surprised to see Anthony here and quickly asked When did you get here and why are you here Anthony just looked bored I just got here Why was he avoiding the question of why he was here Freddy then asked Why aren t you at home Duh I don t have one Usually stay at bars all night and end up falling asleep How could Freddy not know this Maybe they weren t as good as friends as he thought Looking by the shocked face of Sam she must have not known either Why didn t you tell us asked Sam You didn t ask That was all he said Anthony left before they could say anything else Freddy s thoughts were interrupted by his alarm It was 6 00 in the morning time to get ready for another day It was still fairly dark outside because of the snow blocking the sun Sam was already ready so she waited for him while Freddy changed in the bathroom When he came back workers started coming in and started going to there desks and were getting situated Sam and Anthony were both at there desks getting some work done Freddy gave them a simple nod and sat at his desk Freddy got through the day quickly Freddy Sam and Anthony all work at a newspaper company It was a cool job but a little repetitive You basically write London Times and the date 111

and year of 1967 on the top of every newspaper which gets tiring after a while It was about lunchtime when our boss Mrs Hilliker stopped everyone from working and called a meeting She said Thank you everyone for working at London Times It has been a great opportunity to work with you all of you It pains me to inform you that London Times will be closing I hope everyone has a great and prosperous future ahead of them I am so sorry and thank you again When I realized what was happening my heart broke My body went into this feeling of shock and despair I looked around me I was not the only one who felt like this some people were even in tears One question kept replaying in Freddy s mind Why me Why did I have to go through this this pain this feeling of not being worth anything Freddy head started feeling dizzy and he had to sit down for the pain that this will be the end of him Freddy looked at his surroundings blank walls open windows soulless coworkers and then he saw his friends Sam and Anthony the only ones in his life who really understood who he was what he wanted to be what he wanted to achieve in his life To be honest Freddy didn t know what to think now You can t give up now What happened to Freddy The person who always looks for a positive side The person who is always strong kind and nice So who is this person and what have you done to my Freddy So I ask you now what is my Freddy going to do Sam put Freddy into perspective He didn t know what he was going to do but he did know what he wanted to be So what Freddy decided to do was 1 they sam Anthony and Freddy would all stay together 2 They would sleep on the streets 3 they would bring together all the money they had and go to the cheapest supermarket and buy the cheapest foods The plan Freddy decided would go on as they planned it They gathered Freddys blankets from where he slept last night and decided they would all share them to keep warm Freddie said his goodbyes to his other friends at the office and then left with Sam and Anthony They gathered the money 3 75 112

Anthony knew this supermarket across the street that had really cheap food they bought chips water meat in a can and some other substantial and cheap foods They gathered at the end of the street on the corner It felt like the concrete sucked all the heat energy and anything else humane from Sam Anthony and Freddy They all huddled together and used the blankets to try and keep warm After they ate they tried to fall asleep Sleep slowly crept up on Freddy but was soon interrupted by the sound of bells Freddie careful got out of the blankets and followed the sound It was roughly two in the morning and snow was biting at his nose and lips Freddy turned the corner and was confronted by two giant bells They were in a metal frame on the browned I could see two leather straps laid out on the sidewalk All of a sudden their sound rang joyfully Freddy closely examined the bells they both had ingrained writing saying Santas Workshop Freddie was shocked he just found Santa s bells Playing them as he walked to where his friends were he noticed something The sound of the ringing got louder and louder If you turned the wrong corner the bells went silent but if you turn the right corner of the bells would start ringing louder in higher notes He woke up both Sam and Anthony He quickly summarized what the bell s did Sam and Anthony were both shocked and anxious They followed the bells with high hopes After it felt like Anthony Sam and Freddie we re walking for hours they saw a small workshop As they looked around they saw two men one was holding a bag and the other was crying orders We got to get out of here before Santa sees us coming said man number one Man number 2 the one who was crying orders said We re not leaving until we get all the gifts And I mean ALL At this moment Freddy realized what was happening Santa exists and he was at his Workshop and that there were two men who were about to steal all of Santas gifts and ruin Christmas Freddy looked at both Sam and Anthony Freddy had a plan and 113

quickly told them Anthony went stealthily into the workshop His job was to find Santa Sam was behind a wall attaching a rope to a side of a tree and to the wall she was standing behind Freddy was with with Sam The plan was that Anthony was going to find Santa and tell him what was happening Sam was going to tie the rope on the side of 2 objects so when someone passed they would fall and Freddy s job was to dig a hole so when the person fell they would be trapped in a deep whole Surprisingly enough there was a shovel lying next to one of the wall so Freddy started digging and digging He knew that the trap wouldn t work if the hole wasn t deep enough and he knew that he had to be quiet and fast So Freddy just kept digging Finally when Freddy as done digging Sam and Freddy both got the thugs attentions Hey losers over here Both robbers looked and quickly started running after them Sam and Freddy lead them to the rope and hole They both went around the hole but CHRASH Both robbers fell into the hole It worked Sam ran to Freddy gave him a hug and then she kissed him Enough you two said Anthony Freddy s mind wandered We really need to get Anthony a bell Anthony had a wide spread grin That a first Anthony never smiles Anthony was with an older man SANTA That was quite a show you performed just there I am very thankful for all of you and I m sure all the other kids out there are too If there is anything I can do for you let me know Freddy thought for a while and when he did Santa welcomed us to his home and workshop It was magnificent light warmth and heat flowed over to Freddy giving him a nice cozy hug Christmas trees lights and gifts surrounded the room Freddy was shocked The room was so small on the outside but was one of the biggest rooms he had ever seen on the inside After Santa gave everyone some hot chocolate and actual food Freddy had a little talk with Santa There actually is something I would like to ask of you sir 114

Well of course but as long as you don t call me sir I am Santa Said Santa in a big and booming voice which suited him very well Santa had a big bushy white and fluffy beard and wore a big red velvet suit just like you would imagine him to look like Freddy said Well my friends and I are in a bad place right now Our newspaper company just ran out of business and hundreds of people will be losing there job and soon later their homes I was just wondering if you could give us a place to stay We will work hard for it I promise and as for the food well it looks like you have plenty to supply so Hmm you make a compelling argument And you are right I do have plenty of space and food here and lately its been a lot of work making billions of gifts so yes you can bring everyone from the newspaper company on one condition the kids like to see a face and outfit they can trust so you will have to wear an outfit I choose for you agreed Freddy was shocked Santa said yes He quickly agreed to Santa s offer And everyone who had lost there job or more had a place to stay eat and work That is the story of how elves came to be 115

The Day Santa Became Lazy The Origin Story of The Naughty or Nice App By Grace Walsh Darn it Elves we don t have the resources to keep track of who s on The Naughty List and who s on The Nice List You see there are just too many kids around the world It s November and we only have one month until Christmas We cannot just guess which child goes on which list A round flabby man with a beard the color of fresh snow said emphatically A squeaky voice started to yell but was as quiet as a mouse Santa Santa The voice could be heard yelling The group of elves who was listening to Santa went back to their jobs to find a way to fix this issue but one elf walked the opposite didection of the other elves like a salmon swimming upstream This elf walked up to Santa and started saying something to him Next to Santa this elf looked less like an elf and more like an ant next to an elephant I know how to fix this problem Santa And who are you exactly Elf Winnie I work in the technology department I know how to fix this problem Santa nodded intently I can make an app that kids all over the world can download Kids will be asked a series of questions which will then determine which list they are on The information will then be sent to us in the North Pole We can call it The Naughty or Nice App In less than a day the app was up and running around the globe But Santa and the elves would soon find out that although the app did keep track of who was on The Naughty or Nice List it created another problem A couple clicks to a tablet would send the information directly to the North Pole and that was the problem One wrong tap to the screen of a device could easily place someone on the wrong list A young boy by the name of Michael would soon find this out 116

As Michael sat at his kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal an urgent news report appeared on his television Breaking news The North Pole has just released a press statement asking for every parent to download an app for their children called The Naught or Nice App With billions of children around the world it has become increasingly difficult for Santa s elves to keep track of who goes on The Naughty List and who goes on The Nice List Mom Mom We need to help Santa and download the Naughty or Nice App Michael said eagerly waiting for an answer Yeah okay I can download it later I have to leave for work now or I ll be late Michael s smile turned to a frown in a fleeting moment But mom we need to help Santa We can t just do nothing I ll talk to you about this later Michael s mother kissed him goodbye and left for work He then walked out of his house and towards the school bus Snow fell from the sky and danced through the wind Michael sat next to his friend Timmy on the bus Hey Timmy did you hear that Santa wants everybody to download an app to tell him if you re naughty or nice Yeah Timmy said I downloaded it this morning I haven t tried it yet though Maybe you can show me how the app works first Michael opened the app on Timmy s phone A short quiz appeared on the screen He began to answer the questions The questions asked simple things like Are you kind to others and Do you do your chores when your parents ask you to The last question was asked and Michael accidentally hit the wrong button A bright red message said Timmy Smith you are on The Naughty List This information will now be forwarded to the North Pole 117

Michael what did you do I don t know I thought your phone would send the information under my name I must have hit the wrong button I can fix this I promise How I ll write Santa a letter explaining what happened Michael proceeded to write a letter to Santa Claus for the rest of the ride to school He asked his teacher if she had a stamp and an envelope and to his surprise she did As soon as school ended Michael dashed out of school and put his letter in the mailbox He knew it would take at least a week until the letter arrived in the North Pole It had passed almost a month since Michael sent the letter and he still had never received a letter back from Santa It was Christmas Eve and he felt horrible about accidentally placing Timmy on The Naughty List The next morning he woke up and hustle to look for presents under his Christmas tree Under the tree he saw a silver glittery note glimmering under the Christmas lights Michael picked it up and read it The letter read Dear Michael As you know this is the first year we have the used the app and there were obviously some glitches Timmy was removed from The Naughty List and correctly placed on The Nice List Thanks to your leadership you saved somebody s Christmas I hope you enjoy your gifts Merry Christmas Santa 118

Penny s Paper The Origin Story of Wrapping Paper By Kate Walsh It was the year 1930 and snow was coating the French Countryside Penny an eight year old girl with fiery red hair as well as a fiery personality was attending school She was wearing her red coat her grandmother had made and in her hands she had books for class She skipped up the schools stairs and passed the Christmas tree in the hallway Every year the school had a Secret Santa Ceremony and each gift would be delivered to each child s door step on Christmas Day Penny had a boy named Oliver as her Secret Santee and she made him a toy horse which was at her house because the paint was drying Luckily the gifts would be delivered on Thursday and it was Monday so she wasn t worried Penny stopped to look at the tree and it was lit up and coated in dazzling ornaments As Penny s eyes reached the bottom of the tree her heart sank as she saw that the presents were in cardboard boxes Penny zoned out for the rest of the day at school because she was in denial that the bottom of the tree was far less colorful then everything else in the world As soon as she got home she plopped her bags on the floor tossed her shoes on the floor and found her grandmother painting on a long piece of paper The paper was grey and shiny from glue being spread across the paper Hello Penny Grab the bucket of glitter would ya Here I ll bring the paper to the back yard Follow me Penny followed behind Grandma and tried to see over the big bucket of glitter Grandma what are you doing Penny asked smiling Grandma laid out the paper on the lawn and kept her eyes on the paper as she said You ll see After two minutes the paper was spread out on the lawn and Grandma look at Penny with excitement Dump the bucket Penny stepped forward and walked along the paper 119

pouring glitter out As soon as she finished Grandma lifted the piece of paper and waved it in the air as if she were putting down a picnic blanket Glitter blew everywhere and Penny closed her eyes Open your eyes said Grandma Penny s eyes lifted open and she immediately let out a surprised smile The long paper had golden reindeer and snowflakes up and down the paper The glitter revealed all the snowflakes and Christmas patterns and then Penny whispered under her breath That s it The next morning Penny s mom had put the toy horse in a box and said Penny that s beautiful Who would of thought to do that said Mom Penny s mom was Penny s best friend and they supported each other through all their hardships Mom stood there her long dark hair resting on her perfectly neat and organized outfit marveled by the paper Penny responded No one I guess I think we should make more paper and wrap everyone else s gifts too That night the three girls sat around the dining table with yards of long paper and paint and glue and glitter The next morning Penny came out from her bedroom and headed towards the kitchen to find her grandma and mom past out on the table and neat piles of gorgeous wrapping paper I thought you two were going to go to bed You didn t have to do this This is amazing Oh Grandma and Mom Thank you Penny cried as she hugged the two as their eyes slowly propped open It was our pleasure spoke Mom in a soft voice Penny arrive at school with the paper in a bag and her toy present in the other hand 120

All the kids gathered around to see a perfectly wrapped box next to all the horrid brown boxes Penny went off to class smiling proud of her work School went by and as soon as the bell rang Penny raced down to the Christmas tree to begin wrapping the gifts when she arrived she was in shock that the boxes had been moved She ran to a teacher and tugged on her skirt to get her attention The teacher turned towards her and said Yes honey Where are the Christmas presents Penny retorted I m sorry sweety but the boxes had been taken to the mail house without replying Penny ran out of school and home as fast as she could She burst threw the door and cried The boxes have been mailed Mommy Mom gave her a hug and reassured her she could do it next year Grandma came through the door and said I know what to do The three girls pulled up to the mail house with the wrapping paper and they quietly entered Okay do you remember the plan asked Mom Grandma and Penny nodded as Grandma approached the front desk A teenage boy about sixteen or seventeen was at the counter tying a box Excuse me sir Would you mind showing me your stamps The young man looked up and replied Sure what type of stamps are you looking for Grandma hesitated for a second All of them The man looked confused and shrugged his shoulders as he turned to go get all the stamps As he turned Grandma nodded to Mom and Penny who snuck in the back of the store 121

Look mom there are the boxes Penny whispered excitedly Mom pushed Penny forward and the sat down on the floor to begin wrapping So ma am we have exactly 1 882 stamps so you re gonna have to be a little more specific Grandma replied Got any with chickens on em The man made a confused face and started looking through the book of stamps He put his finger down on a chicken stamp and pulled it out of the book sleeve Like this one he asked Have you ever had roasted chicken asked Grandma One more box Penny giggled You can have the honors Mother handed her a ribbon and Penny tied it neatly to finish the bow It was the little red horse she was giving to Oliver It was perfect and it rocked back and fort on a gold stand As soon as she finished they happily got up and walked out of the store and as they were doing so they nodded at Grandma who was finish her conversation with the man You know I heard about this thing called tacos that are becoming really popul Mom grabbed Grandma and pulled her out of the store As soon as they got home they all collapsed on their beds The next morning every child opened up their doors to find perfectly wrapped gifts Over the years gift wrapping became more and more popular till it became a worldwide tradition all thanks to Penny Mom and Grandma 122